


Collide

by ghost_writer26 (kinksock22)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jensen, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mates, Anal Fingering, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF Jared, BAMF Jensen, Badass Jared and Jensen, Biting, Blood and Gore, Bloodplay, Bottom Jared, Collars, Comeplay, Coming Untouched, Dirty Talk, Dom Jensen, Dom/sub, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Frottage, Homophobic Language, Hurt Jared, Hurt Jensen, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Jared, Knotting, Light BDSM, M/M, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Omega Jared, Pain Kink, Possessive Jared, Possessive Jensen, Pretend Alpha Jared, RPS - Freeform, Rimming, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Self-Lubrication, Spanking, Sub Jared, Tattoo Kink, Top Jensen, Violence, crimeboss jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:53:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6244036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinksock22/pseuds/ghost_writer26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for this prompt at the kink meme: <i> Jared is mob boss, one of the most dangerous and powerful men in the city, but he has a "little" secret, which until now knowed only his lover and "right hand" Jensen - Jared is omega who pretend alpha. What happens when Jared's rivals get to know truth?</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Collide

**Author's Note:**

> Written on 7/9/13 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.
> 
> A few things I want to point out before anyone reads this.
> 
> This series is a bit of a departure for me, both when it was written and now. I did have fun playing with this version of the J’s, I must admit. 
> 
> In regards to their relationship, they do love each other, fiercely, but what they have more than likely isn’t very healthy at all. And Jared’s steady downward decline is intentional and I believe realistic. Dealing with what he has and the self-hatred he’s suffered with since childhood has caused deep damage, causing him to hate his biology more and more, as well as his submission to Jensen and even their entire relationship at times. I hope this comes across. 
> 
> Each chapter is actually a separate, individual story in this series but I’m posting them all together. There are four fics plus two prequels/timestamps (which be posted in the middle as that’s the order they were written in.)

**Chapter Warnings:**  A/U, A/B/O, omega!Jared, Alpha!Jensen, bottom!Jared, sub!Jared, Dom!Jensen, D/s, BDSM (light), heat, knotting, male self-lubrication, violence, minor character death, BAMF!Jared, BAMF!Jensen, rimming, rough sex, pretend alpha Jared, collar, rough oral sex, coming untouched, gore/blood, mating  
  


“He  _knows_ , Jensen,” Jared growls, crumpling the piece of paper on his desk in his fist. “How the fuck’d this happen?!”  
  
“Hey, easy,” Jensen commands, standing up from his chair and circles Jared’s desk. He stands behind Jared’s chair and slides his hands over Jared’s broad shoulders, massaging the tense muscles he feels. Jared leans back and tips his head to the side, obvious submission for his Alpha. Jensen smirks and dips down, pressing a biting kiss to Jared’s neck. “That’s it, sweetheart,” he praises when his omega calms down beneath his touch.  
  
Jared whimpers when he pulls away but Jensen doesn’t go far, just pushes Jared’s chair away from the desk so he can stand in front of Jared, his ass resting on the desk. “You need to calm down, Jay,” he says, soft yet firm.  
  
“But…”  
  
“No,” Jensen interrupts, grabbing Jared’s hand and prying the wadded-up, sweaty paper from his fist. “Calm down,” he repeats slowly. “We don’t know what this is, Jared. There’s no proof that anyone knows  _anything_. This could just be to try’n get you to act, to lash out.”  
  
“There are other ways to provoke me, Jensen, and he knows that. Why…” Jared huffs a sigh, “’s too big’a coincidence to think that he doesn’t know.”  
  
“You just need to keep your head and we do what we’ve always done,” Jensen growls.  
  
Jared eyes snap up to him, darkening at the tone, at the underlying threat in the words. A slow smirk curls up his lips and he leans back in his chair, his legs flopping open slightly, long fingers slowly sliding up the inside of his thighs. “And just what’s that, Alpha?”  
  
Jensen returns his smirk, one eyebrow raised. “Kinky fucker,” he teases. “You just wanna hear me tell you how I’d kill anyone who looks at you wrong.” He slides off the desk and grabs the back of Jared’s hair, pulling his head back so that he’s still looking up at Jensen. “Just want me to remind you of all the times I’ve  _already_  killed anyone who looked at you wrong.” Jensen leans down, mouthing across Jared’s jaw. “And if Morgan thinks he can scare us, scare  _me_? He’s got another fuckin’ thing comin’.”  
  
“Jensen,” Jared breathes.  
  
“We don’t have time for this right now, sweetheart,” Jensen whispers against his ear. “I need you to get your shit together and we need to move on this. But later…” he trails off, dragging his hand down Jared’s chest to his cock, cupping the blood-thick flesh, his fingertips brushing the cleft of Jared’s ass through his designer slacks. “Later, this ass is mine,” he adds on a low, harsh growl.  
  
Jared’s head falls back and he moans, his eyes wide and dark and pleading. “Please, Alpha,” he breathes.  
  
“Patience, love,” Jensen whispers and presses a kiss to Jared’s lip. “Soon, I promise.”  
  
Jensen pulls away from Jared and steps back around to the other side of the desk. His pretty omega already looks fucked-out, debauched and perfect but there’s work to be done first. “’m gonna go call a meeting. Get started on this. Get yourself together and meet me there in five.”  
  
“Yes, Master,” Jared rasps.  
  
Jensen raises an eyebrow and shakes his head. “Work first, baby. Gotta make sure this is all just bullshit. Then we’ll play.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared watches as Jensen turns and walks out the door, the neat lines of his suit accentuating the muscles of his shoulders and back, his jacket covering the sweet swell of his ass and the slacks fitting perfectly over the adorable bow of his legs. Fuck. The last Goddamn thing he wants to do is deal with Morgan and the possibility that he’s found out Jared’s greatest secret.  
  
With his size and ruthlessness – and the right suppressants – it’s not hard for Jared to pretend to be an Alpha. He honestly didn’t even really try when he first started rising through the ranks of Jeff’s crime syndicate. Everyone just assumed. And when he made enough of a name for himself and struck out on his own – becoming his own boss and having his own crew – he’d met Jensen Ackles. Almost too damn pretty to be an Alpha, Jensen makes up for it in cruelty. Hell, there are times when he’s even able to make Jared cringe with some of the shit he’s seen Jensen do.  
  
Jensen was the only one to ever just look at him and  _know_.  
  
The first time Jensen knocked him on his ass – teeth at his neck – Jared whimpered and submitted. Twenty minutes later he was writhing on Jensen’s knot, a new right-hand man, mate and Master all rolled into one perfect, drop-dead gorgeous and terrifyingly dangerous package.  
  
Inhaling deeply, Jared reels in his hormones and pushes himself up out of his chair and heads toward the conference room. His Master did give him an order after all.  
  
Jensen’s sitting next to Jared’s seat at the head of the table, Chris and Steve to his left and Chad and Jason to his right. These four are Jensen and Jared’s top trusted, most valuable; but even they don’t know the truth. Jensen is the only one who knows Jared is an omega.  
  
And now, possibly Jeff Morgan. Jared’s biggest enemy.  
  
Jensen doesn’t look over at him when he takes his seat and as much as Jared loves his cool, calm restraint, sometimes it aggravates the hell out of him. To look at Jensen, no one would be able to tell just five minutes ago he was in full-on dominant Alpha mode.  
  
“What’s up, boss?” Chad – always the impatient one – asks as soon as Jared takes a seat.  
  
Jensen sighs and rolls his eyes and Jared can barely suppress a snicker. Jensen hates Chad and that’s part of the reason Jared keeps him in their inner circle. “We need eyes and ears on Morgan,” Jared states, looking at all four men in turn. “He’s planning a move and I want to know what it is before he does it.”  
  
Jensen looks to Jason and Chad. “Find weak links and start interrogating.” Chad’s eyes widen and he looks like an excited puppy when Jensen adds, “No holds barred.”  
  
Jared nods at the two Alphas as they leave; they have their orders and Jared knows they’ll be carried out. He turns to Steve. “I want to know what Morgan’s been doing for the last three months. Where he’s been, who he’s talked to. Hell, I wanna know what he had for fuckin’ dinner.”  
  
“You betcha, boss,” Steve says around a nod, leaving as well.  
  
Chris raises one eyebrow and tilts his head. He followed Jared from Morgan’s crew and he trusts him almost as much as he trusts Jensen. “He sent me this,” Jared explains and hands the letter to Chris, watches as his eyes widen.  
  
“That’s the stupidest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever heard,” Chris drawls. “Why would he send this? ‘s not like it’s true, so what’s the threat?”  
  
“It won’t matter that it’s not true,” Jensen replies. “If he can get enough people to listen, enough to believe, it’ll cause a whole bunch’a shit. And you know Morgan, man. He’ll stop at nothin’ to bring us, bring Jared, down.”  
  
Chris nods, chewing on his bottom lip. “I take it ‘m the only other one to know about this?” Jensen and Jared both nod. “Okay,” Chris sighs. “What’d’y want me to do?”  
  
“Question our people,” Jared answers. “Jeff might have someone on the inside.”  
  
“Isn’t that something that you two would normally do yourselves?”  
  
“Yeah,” Jensen sighs. “But we’ll be outta town for a week. And we know you’ll be discreet.”  
  
“Any reason you think it’d be internal and not just Morgan spoutin’ off shit like usual?”  
  
“No,” Jared answers quickly. “Just coverin’ bases, man.”  
  
“When y’all headin’ out?”  
  
“Tomorrow. We’ll be completely unreachable,” Jensen explains. “We need you to take point on this, Chris.”  
  
Chris smirks as he pushes himself out of his chair. “You can count on that and you know it.”  
  
Once the door closes behind Chris, Jensen turns to Jared and slides his hand up the inside of his thigh. “Our room, now. Be naked and ready when I get there.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
_Their_  room is on the third floor of the mansion, the only room used up there. The rest of the staff and crew know it as Jared’s room – Jensen’s room is on the second floor with everyone else’s even though it’s all for show.  
  
Jensen stops by the kitchen and grabs a couple of bottles of water and some snacks for Jared – his omega gets the munchies after a good orgasm – before taking his time making his way up to the second floor. There’s a hidden staircase in the back of his closet that leads right upstairs to their room. Just as he knew he would, Jensen finds Jared stark naked, kneeling in the middle of the floor, black leather collar snug around his neck and his head lowered submissively. Just like always, it sends arousal straight down to his cock, want and heat and fire replacing the blood in his veins. He loves Jared – wouldn’t have also taken him as his actual mate otherwise – but it’s the submission of the toughest son of a bitch besides himself that gets him every damn time.  
  
Jared is cunning and ruthless, fucking brilliant with a blade and not afraid of any-fucking-thing. In every other aspect of their lives, he’s every inch the Alpha he pretends to be and Jensen gladly follows behind him, would follow him straight into Hell if he had to. Except for when they’re in this room. Jared becomes his sweet, submissive omega, his beautiful sub, his perfect mate and it’s Jensen that rules.  
  
Jared showered in the time it took for Jensen to come upstairs and he can smell the clean, fresh scent of arousal thick and heavy around them – makes his cock harden and his knot pulse. When they’re outside of this room, Jared wears Alpha pheromones and takes suppressants. But in here, he’s pure and sugary-sweet and Jensen can’t wait to get his hands on all that golden flesh.  
  
Their bags are packed and sitting next to the door, ready for when they get up in the morning. The one thing that they can’t stop – that Jensen doesn’t  _want_  them to stop – is Jared’s heat. Every six months they take a week-long trip out of the country, go somewhere that no one knows them and spend the time fucking and knotting. Tomorrow’s the six-month mark.  
  
Jensen walks around behind Jared, not touching, and sets the water and food down on the table next to the bed. Jared’s back is straight, his knees spread and his hands clasped together at the small of his back but he’s perfectly aware of Jensen’s every move and Jensen knows it.  
  
Slowly, quietly, Jensen slips off his suit jacket and loosens his tie, rolls the sleeves of his starched-white dress shirt up to below his elbows. Jared inhales deeply when he steps closer and Jensen can see the minute flexing of Jared’s shoulders, knows that Jared can scent his arousal. Stepping up behind Jared, he runs one hand through his hair, tightens his fingers into a fist and tugs Jared’s head up. Jared moans softly, his eyes fluttering closed. “Alpha,” he breathes. “Master.”  
  
Jensen smirks and dips down, pressing a quick kiss to Jared’s lips. “So pretty,” he whispers. “Stand up.”  
  
Jared scrambles to comply, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, his cock already hard and leaking, curling up toward his stomach. Jensen steps closer, sliding one hand over Jared’s hip, squeezing briefly. As much as he’d love to draw this out, spend hours teasing and torturing his sweet sub, they have an early morning flight and he’s honestly more concerned about this Morgan problem than he’d lead on downstairs and it’s fucking with his concentration.  
  
Truthfully, more than anything, the note pissed him off. Sure, he’s concerned that Jeff has somehow found out the truth about Jared but it’s the threat to his mate and the insinuation from another Alpha that he’s going to ‘put Jared in his place’ that has Jensen seeing red. Jared submits to no one but him and Jeff’s a damn fool with a death wish if he thinks that Jensen’s going to stand for this.  
  
With a sigh, Jared’s shoulders drop and he closes the rest of the distance between them, pulling Jensen into his arms. He knows that he’s not hiding his feelings from Jared very well, knows that his mate has picked up on the fact that his head’s not in the right place for this right now. “C’mon, babe,” Jared says softly. “Let’s just go to bed and you can fuck me.”  
  
Jensen chuckles and looks up at Jared, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. “’m sorry, baby,” he says quietly. “I’ll make it up to you.”  
  
“Oh, I know you will,” Jared teases. “While we’re away, we can play all I want and not have to worry about Morgan or anything else.”  
  
Jensen smiles and kisses Jared quickly. “Sure you’re not disappointed?” he asks softly. For all that Jensen is the dominant one in their relationship, Jared holds most of the power. Jared choses to submit to him and Jensen loves taking care of Jared, making sure he’s happy and satisfied.  
  
“No,” Jared whispers, nuzzling against Jensen’s cheek. “It would’a been fun but I don’t think either of us are up to it tonight.” He pauses, leaning closer, his breath moist and hot against Jensen’s ear when he whispers, “Still want you to fuck me though.”  
  
“That I can definitely do,” Jensen promises.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared pulls away from Jensen and flops down on their bed, watching Jensen undress the rest of the way. His mate is truly gorgeous, broad and stocky, and seeing that pale, freckle-kissed flesh being revealed a piece at a time never fails to make Jared quiver. Since they’re not playing tonight, he reaches up and takes off his collar, placing it back in the drawer next to his side of the bed. He understands why Jensen was reluctant – truthfully, he’s not in the right mindset for it either – but it concerns him. He knows Jensen, knows that even though he’s not saying it, he’s more worried about this Morgan problem than he’s letting on.  
  
Once he’s naked, Jensen climbs up onto the mattress, fitting himself between Jared’s legs – where he belongs – and kisses Jared again. Jared wraps his legs around Jensen’s waist and digs one heel into the meat of his ass. Jensen chuckles and pulls back enough to look down at Jared. “Impatient bitch,” he teases.  
  
Jared growls and wraps his arms around Jensen’s shoulders, tugging him down against his chest. “Just want you inside me, Jen,” he breathes. “C’mon, Alpha, take it.” Jensen reaches between them and blindly lines up, thrusting forward all the way in one long, fast slide. “Oh fuck yeah,” Jared groans. “That’s it, babe. Keep goin’.”  
  
“You’re awfully pushy tonight,” Jensen points out even as he pulls back and thrusts back in, immediately picking up the almost-brutal rhythm Jared is craving.  
  
“Fuckin’ heat,” Jared mutters. “You know ‘s always like this. Need you so much…”  
  
“Just need me ‘cause’a your heat?” Jensen asks, twisting his hips, his cock-head hitting Jared’s prostate with deadly accuracy.  
  
“Fuck… Right there, just like that,” Jared demands breathlessly. “You know that’s not the only reason I need you,” he adds, sliding his hand up to the back of Jensen’s neck, his other hand coming around to trace the tattoo that matches his own on Jensen’s left pec, right next to his heart. It’s an intricate design that just looks artistic but if you look close enough, Jared’s name is clearly visible. “You know I love you.”  
  
“Fuckin’ sap,” Jensen teases, grinding his hips forward, his knot starting to swell and catch on Jared’s rim.  
  
“Only for you,” Jared says around a smile. “And you love it, don’t pretend you don’t.”  
  
“I do,” Jensen admits, dipping down to press a kiss to Jared’s lips. “Mostly, I just love you.”  
  
“Now who’s the sap?” Jared asks, trailing off on a moan when Jensen’s knot inflates enough that it almost hurts when he pulls back. “Fuck… Jensen, feels so good, babe.”  
  
“You close, baby?” Jensen asks even though Jared’s pretty fucking sure he doesn’t need to. Jensen knows his body better than he does, knows that Jared’s already skating along the razor’s edge of release.  
  
“Yeah,” Jared breathes and because he knows his Alpha loves to hear it, he adds, “So close, Alpha. Please, make me come?”  
  
Jensen shoves one hand between them and curls his hand around Jared’s cock, stroking in the same perfect, fast rhythm. “If we had the time, I’d drawl this out, make you come on just my knot,” he grits out, forcing his completely swollen knot passed the resistance of Jared’s rim. “Gonna do that this week,” Jensen promises. “Gonna get you so strung out that you come without a hand on you.”  
  
Jared knows that he can, and will, has done it so many times before. The thought of spending the next week in some hotel room half a world away, tied to Jensen as much as humanly possible, sends him over the edge, crying out Jensen’s name. He’s vaguely aware of Jensen grinding forward, his cock twitching and his knot pulsing as he comes as well, a low moan rumbling in his chest. Jared falls asleep with Jensen’s knot still lodged firmly inside him, a content smile on his face, the threat of Morgan knowing about him the furthest thing from his mind at the moment  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen barely has time to close the door to their hotel room before Jared’s on his knees at his feet, his face pressed into Jensen’s crotch. Jensen’s eyes flutter, his cock hardening so fast it leaves him a little dizzy, the heat from Jared’s breath over his trapped length enough to drive him fucking crazy.  
  
“Up,” he barks out, watching in satisfaction as Jared scrambles to his feet. “Strip.”  
  
Jared once again doesn’t hesitate, immediately stripping down to bare skin. Jensen finally steps all the way into the room and digs into the front pocket of his bag, pulling out the long, slim box that Jared’s collar is kept in. Jared whimpers when he sees it, dropping gracefully to his knees again, his head tilted down, his knees spread wide apart. “That’s my good boy,” Jensen praises as he steps behind Jared and places his collar around his neck. He tugs slightly on the supple black leather. It’s buttery-soft but sturdy, digging slightly into Jared’s windpipe and he hears his sub’s breath hitch. He lets go and slides his fingers through Jared’s hair, tugging a bit on the strands. He can smell Jared’s heat – the sugary-sweet scent of his omega strong and thick in the room – and he loves that smell, wishes like hell that Jared didn’t have to mask the scent on a daily basis even though he understands the reason behind it.  
  
Jared tilts his head slightly into the pull of Jensen’s fingers, a low moan tearing from his throat, his cock twitching and smearing pre-come along his perfect abs. Jensen strips his t-shirt over his head before moving back in front of Jared, his hold on his mate’s hair tightening. Using the hold, he tips Jared’s head back, smirking at the glazed, dark look in those mesmerizing hazel depths. Here, in this little hotel room, he’s not Jared Padalecki, crime boss extraordinaire. Here, he’s Jensen’s perfect mate, his sub, the love of his fucking life. Popping open the button of his jeans with one hand, Jensen pulls Jared face closer, shoving him against his groin once more. Jared groans and mouths at his cock through his jeans and boxer briefs, wetting the material and making Jensen fucking  _throb_.  
  
Jared tries to bury his face deeper, whimpering when the movement tugs on the strands of his hair more. His lips are red and swollen when he looks up at Jensen, eyes big and desperate, the heat haze starting to truly kick in. “Please?” Jared whispers. “Jensen… Master, please…”  
  
“What’d’ya want, baby?” Jensen asks even though he damn-well knows.  
  
“Wanna taste you,” Jared rasps, nuzzling against his cock with his nose. “Want you to fuck my mouth ‘fore you knot me.”  
  
Jensen shoves at the waist of his jeans and briefs, pushing them down enough to let his cock spring free. Jared licks his lips but otherwise doesn’t move, knows his place and is so well behaved. “Open,” Jensen commands.  
  
Jared’s lips drop open immediately, his eyes grateful where he’s still staring up at Jensen. “You’re such a good boy for me,” Jensen praises, petting through Jared’s hair. “You want me to fuck your mouth? Shove my cock down your throat ‘til you’re chokin’ on it?” Jared moans, lips still hanging open, and nods. Jensen grabs the base of his cock with the hand not still buried in Jared’s hair and feeds just the tip inside, barely biting back a moan at the delicious wet heat surrounding the head of his aching, leaking length. Jared’s tongue slides over the ridge and the bundle of nerves before moving up, the pointed tip digging into his slit.  
  
Jensen groans and thrusts his hips forward, his fingers clenching in Jared’s hair when Jared swallows him down completely, his throat opening up as Jensen pushes all the way in. Jared’s nose is buried in his crotch, reflexive tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. Jensen pulls his hips back, pauses long enough for Jared to take a breath before thrusting back in. He sets a steady, even pace, unable to tear his eyes away from the beauty of Jared on his knees, mouth stretched wide as Jensen fucks his face, deep-throating him like a fucking champ.  
  
Jared whimpers when he abruptly pulls away, a thin string of pre-come and spit connecting the head of Jensen’s cock and Jared’s swollen lips for a moment. “Up,” Jensen rasps. “On the bed.”  
  
Jared obeys quickly, scrambling up onto the mattress on his hands and knees, ass high in the air. Jensen can see his natural slick leaking from his hole, the hard, heavy length of his cock hanging between his legs. He crawls up behind Jared, his hands sliding up the backs of his thighs as he leans down and licks a broad, thick stripe over Jared’s rim. Jared cries out, his arms collapsing, his chest hitting the mattress. Jensen chuckles and licks Jared again, moaning at the sweet taste of Jared’s arousal.  
  
Jensen doesn’t take much time prepping Jared – his omega surely doesn’t need, or want, it – just pumps two of his fingers inside Jared a few times, his tongue laving around Jared’s rim, can’t get enough of that sugary-sweet taste. Jared whimpers, his fingers clawing at the mattress, his hips trembling with the urge to thrust. Jared’s insatiable on a normal basis but his heat makes him crazy.  
  
“You ready?” Jensen rasps, his lips and tongue sliding up Jared’s spine to the back of his neck. He doesn’t need to ask, knows damn-well Jared’s  _been_  ready since last night but he can’t resist the urge to tease a little.  
  
“Jensen,” Jared growls. “C’mon. ‘m fuckin’ dyin’ here.”  
  
“Always so needy and dramatic,” Jensen teases, reaching between his own hips and Jared’s ass to grab the base of his cock, rubbing just the tip over and around Jared’s slick, loosened entrance. Jared whines, dropping his head completely between his massive shoulders and Jensen can’t help but smirk. “So wet, baby,” he drawls. “That desperate for me?” Before Jared can answer, Jensen slams forward, burying himself to the hilt. Jared practically screams, throwing his head back as he pushes himself back up onto his hands, his back arched beautifully.  
  
Jensen slides his hands over Jared’s hips, using all his patience and control to not move. Jared whimpers again, thrusting his hips back just barely, the fluttering of his inner muscles as they loosen and adjust to Jensen’s length enough to make him crazy, his heart pounding against his chest, his head swimming pleasantly.  
  
After a few more long, torturous moments, Jensen pulls back until just the head of his cock is holding Jared open before slamming back inside, hard and fast. He sets up a quick, dirty, almost-brutal rhythm, the slap of his hips against Jared’s ass almost enough to sting. Jared’s fucking _wrecked_  beneath him; writhing and moaning, mostly incoherent, and Jensen loves it, wouldn’t have it any other way.  
  
Unfortunately, the first time never lasts long and he can already feel his knot swelling, catching on Jared rims with each thrust. Draping himself over Jared’s back completely, his bites down on the back of his neck, sucks the flesh between his lips, sucking until the skin is blood-warm and tender. He grinds his hips forward, his knot catching completely and Jared cries out harshly at the pressure against his sweet spot. “C’mon,” Jensen growls. “Come for me. I know you can.”  
  
“Jensen,” Jared moans, soft and breathy, and Jensen feels his inner muscles clench a split-second before Jared screams, his untouched cock spilling out burst after burst of his release against the messy sheets. The rhythmic fluttering and pulsing against his knot pulls him right over the edge a few heartbeats behind.  
  
Jared’s trembling beneath him now, his chest heaving, his heart pounding frantically against the palm Jensen has resting on his sweat-slick flesh. Jared whimpers when Jensen tilts them to the side and pulls Jared against his chest. Pressing a kiss to the side of Jared’s neck, Jensen lets his eyes slide closed, enjoying the feeling of being tied to his mate, the rest of their problems half a world away for the next week.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared looks up when Chris and Jensen step into his office and he can tell by the thunderous expression on both of their faces that his good mood is about to go to shit.  
  
He always feels better right after their bi-yearly trips. He’s well-fucked, his heat taken care of for another six months and his inner sub sated and preening under all the attention he received from his generous Master during the past week.  
  
Jensen plops down in his usual chair, leaving the other to Chris. Once they’re both seated, Chris starts immediately, knows better than to keep Jared waiting. “Found out that one’a the new kids, Colin something or other, had been planted by Morgan. After some… creative interrogating, I finally got him to spill his guts. Apparently, Morgan sent the little runt here, wanting some scoop on you. How he ever came up with this omega shit, I have no fuckin’ clue. Kid swears up and down that he saw you and Jen together, saw you on your hands and knees, beggin’ like a bitch in heat.”  
  
Jared’s blood boils and from the corner of his eye, he sees that Jensen is no better off. They’re extremely careful about what they do and where so the only way this Colin kid could’ve saw what he claims is if he somehow either snuck into their room or otherwise spied on them in there.  
  
Jared inhales deeply and shakes his head. “What’d you do?”  
  
“Well, kid ain’t gonna be squealing anymore shit, made up or not, to Jeff, that I can tell ya.”  
  
Jared snorts a short laugh and nods. “Very well. Thanks, Chris. Send Jason and Chad in will ya?”  
  
Chris nods and leaves, doing as Jared asked. Chad takes the seat Chris was in and Jason stands behind him. “Okay, well, Morgan’s got his guys on the move,” Chad jumps right in. “None of them are at the house for some reason, ‘cept for Lehne.”  
  
Jared nods and sits back in his chair. “Follow his guys, see what they’re up to,” he orders.  
  
“What’d’ya think he’s up to?” Jared asks once Chad and Jason leave.  
  
“I think he’s tryin’ to draw you out. Or well, draw you there actually,” Jensen replies. “He knows that you’re pissed and he’s sure that you’ll come after him.”  
  
“Well, he’s right ‘cause that’s just what I’m gonna do,” Jared grits out.  
  
“No,” Jensen argues. “That’s what  _we’re_  gonna do. You’re fuckin’ crazy if you think ‘mma let you go in there alone. Even if it’s just Morgan and Lehne.”  
  
Jared shakes his head, huffing out a sigh. “You know if he catches your scent, it’s over. ‘mma have’ta go in first myself, distract him while you take out Lehne.”  
  
Jensen’s jaw is clenched so hard the muscle is twitching and his emerald-green eyes are hard, full of fire. God, he’s so fucking sexy when he’s pissed off like this. “I don’t like it,” Jensen grits out.  
  
Jared snorts and sits back in his chair. “You may not but ‘s the way ‘s gonna happen.” Jensen opens his mouth and Jared shakes his head, holding up one hand. “No, just… Look, I get it okay? But this is the way it’s goin’ down, Jen. I don’t actually need your permission on this.”  
  
Jensen narrows his eyes, almost snarling and Jared’s whole body trembles, slick leaking out of his quivering hole. “You… Damnit, Jared. You’re puttin’ me in a really tough position here. Not only as your mate and your Dom but as your fuckin’ partner in this. I know it’s your show, man, I do. But I just… I hate knowin’ that you’re goin’ in alone.”  
  
“You’ll be right behind me,” Jared says softly, trying to soothe his mate’s ruffled feathers. “And you know I can handle myself, Jensen.”  
  
“I know,” Jensen huffs. “Doesn’t mean I like it though.”  
  
Jared smiles and stands up, coming around the desk to stand right in front of Jensen. He leans down, whispering against the shell of his ear, “I know. And once this is over, you can punish me.”  
  
Jensen’s eyes are dark, predatory, when Jared pulls back to look at him. “Might not wanna give me that idea.” Jared merely raises one eyebrow and slides his hand up the inseam of Jensen’s slacks. “Pokin’ the bear,” Jensen warns.  
  
Jared licks his lips, biting down on the bottom one as he slides his hand up further, fingers kneading the hardening bulge of Jensen’s cock. “Countin’ on it,” Jared rasps, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Jensen’s lips.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen grabs the back of Jared’s hair and pulls his head back, baring the long, beautiful line of Jared’s neck. He nips at his fluttering pulse, mouthing at the sweat-salty skin. “What’s the plan?” Jensen rasps. He hates this. Logically, he knows Jared’s ‘the boss’ and he’d gladly follow Jared anywhere but his inner Alpha – and his inner Dom – hates the idea of his mate putting himself in this position. He wants to protect Jared, to wrap him in his arms and keep him from this, even though he knows Jared would kick his ass if he even tried. Part of what turns him on so much about Jared is just how cunning and ruthless he is, how he’s not a slave to his biology and isn’t the typical simpering omega. He loves that his mate is strong and fierce and is a match for him in every sense and that he’s the only person in the world that can get Jared on his knees and even remotely submissive. It’s confusing as fuck and he kinda hates it.  
  
Jared’s eyes are glinting, champagne-hazel wild and dark. “I have’ta let him catch me, Jen,” Jared cringes, knowing damn-well that Jensen’s not going to like that, “He’s gotta think he’s won so I can find out what he knows.”  
  
Jensen’s jaw clenches impossibly more, so tense his teeth creak and it kind of aches. “Jared…” he starts, shaking his head.  
  
“C’mon, Jensen,” Jared sighs. “You… Put yourself in my shoes. Or better yet, stop thinkin’ like my fuckin’ mate and start thinkin’ like my right hand man here. You know as well as I do that’s the only way this’ll work. I gotta get him talkin’, Jen.”  
  
“What does it matter what he knows?!” Jensen snaps. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, just go in and kill the fucker. Be done with it!”  
  
“What if he told someone else?!” Jared yells back. “I can’t… This could end me, Jensen. End us. More importantly, it’ll be a Goddamn death sentence. You think the two-bit thugs and street gangs will continue to cower in fear if they find out that I’m just some fuckin’ bitch? That we’ll still have the pull we do if they find out that I bend over on a daily fuckin’ basis and beg for your fuckin’ knot? I have to… I have to protect the image and you fuckin’  _know_  that.”  
  
Jared’s chest is heaving and his fists are clenched at his sides and he’s radiating anger. He’s fucking beautiful. Jensen gets out of his chair – ignoring the warning growl from Jared – and wraps his arms around his lean waist. “Okay, alright,” he murmurs. “Calm down, sweetheart. ‘m sorry, okay? You’re right. I just… I know that you can take care’a yourself, Jay, I do. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry ‘bout you. Even you can’t stop me from that.”  
  
Jared deflates and drops his head to Jensen’s shoulder. “I know, babe,” he whispers, tucking his face against Jensen’s neck. “But this is who we are, who  _I_  am. We gotta take out Jeff and make sure he hasn’t run his fuckin’ mouth. Then it’ll be over.”  
  
“Okay,” Jensen agrees with a sigh. “When?”  
  
“Tonight.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen’s quiet as they get ready to go, his shoulders tense and his jaw clenched. Jared wants to comfort him, to tell him that it’s okay but right now really isn’t the time. They head into the conference room, Chad, Jason, Steve and Chris already waiting for them. Jensen sits at his usual chair, staring angrily at the wall across the room. Jared sighs and addresses the other four Alphas in the room. “We’re movin’ on Morgan tonight,” Jared announces. “’m goin’ in alone.”  
  
“Whoa,” Chad interrupts, his eyes even squinty-er than usual. “Is that a wise idea, boss?”  
  
Jared sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. It’s never a good thing when Jensen and Chad actually agree on something. “I need to find out if he’s said anything to anyone else. In order to do that, he needs to think ‘m alone. Jensen won’t be far behind and once he takes out Lehne, he’ll follow me inside. I want all of you on standby. Once we find out what we need and take Morgan out, I want all his men taken care of as well. Gather everyone and be ready. Jen or I will make the call.”  
  
“You know, usually I hate to agree with Chad,” Jensen mutters once they’re alone again.  
  
“Then don’t,” Jared grits out. “Look, I understand, okay,” he sighs. “But we need to focus here, Jensen. There’ll be time for you to be pissed at me later, alright?”  
  
Jensen doesn’t say anything else, just gets up and heads to the door, slamming it on his way out. Jared hates the idea of going into this fighting with his mate but there’s no choice. With a sigh, he gets up himself and heads to the garage to grab one of the cars.  
  
Just like Chad and Jason said, Jeff’s compound is completely deserted. Lehne throws open the door as soon as Jared shuts off the engine, like he was waiting for Jared to show. They probably were.  
  
“Fredrick!” Jared calls out, false cheerfully. “Long time, man. How’s it goin’? Still bendin’ over for the old man?”  
  
The older man sneers, his fist clenching at his side. “I think we both know that ‘m not the one who’s been bendin’ over, don’t we, omega?”  
  
Well, that answers Jared’s question about Jeff telling anyone. It doesn’t really surprise him that Fred knows. He’s Jeff’s right hand, has been with the old man since before Jared was even born. “Ah, well, can’t believe everything you hear,” Jared dismisses. “’m sure he’s expectin’ me, so I’ll just head on inside.”  
  
It’s been nearly a decade since Jared’s been inside Morgan’s mansion but he still remembers it like it was yesterday, so it’s not hard to make his way to the study where he’s positive Jeff is waiting. Sure enough, when Jared pushes the door open, Jeff gets up out of his chair and crosses the room. “Jared,” he sighs, shaking his head. “Got a lot of explainin’ to do, pup.”  
  
“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” Jared grits out. Even though it’s not his usual method, he takes a swing at Jeff right away, smirking when he catches him off-guard and lands a mean right hook to the jaw.  
  
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that,” Jeff growls and charges forward.  
  
Jared gets a few good hits in – can’t make it obvious that he’s not really trying – but lets Jeff get the advantage quickly. He knows Jensen won’t hesitate and it won’t take him long to get rid of Lehne. The last thing he sees before he hits his knees is Jeff’s smirking face and the length of rope in his hands.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen creeps up the walk, watching Lehne light a cigarette. Jared’s been inside a matter of minutes and he’s chomping at the bit, needing to get inside and help his mate. It’s a brief scuffle with Lehne but he goes down easily, his neck snapping easily beneath Jensen’s hands.  
  
He sneaks inside, following the scent of Jared’s blood, his stomach clenching in knots and the adrenaline pumping hard through his veins. The door to the study is open and Jeff’s got Jared tied to a chair. Jensen forces himself to be still, to let Jared get the information out of Morgan that he came to get.  
  
Jared spits out the mouthful of blood, smirking at Jeff as he circles him. “Can’t believe you actually showed up, omega,” Jeff sneers, stopping in front of the chair Jared’s tied to. “And without your guard dog too. You’re gettin’ sloppy, kid. Must be those hormones screwing with you.”  
  
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about, Morgan,” Jared grits out.  
  
“Sure you do,” Jeff says, smiling coldly. “You, my dear boy, are a sweet, sweet omega. Got the whole town fooled. Hell, had me fooled for a while. But I know the truth now. Seen it with my own two eyes.”  
  
“What?” Jared growls.  
  
Jeff laughs and grabs the remote to his TV and pushes a button. The sound of moaning fills the air and Jensen’s heart slams against his ribs. He knows Jared’s voice well enough to know what he’s going to see before the picture even comes into focus.  
  
Jared’s on his knees in the middle of their bed, Jensen behind him, fucking him hard and fast. The slick sounds of Jensen’s cock driving into Jared over and over again don’t drown out either of their voices, Jared begging – harder, faster – Jensen whispering against the side of Jared’s face, slowing down just to hear Jared whimper and whine, beg for his knot.  
  
He drags his gaze away from the screen, his hackles rising when he sees Jeff, the sneer on his face not enough to cover the lust in his eyes, as he watches Jensen knot Jared, his beautiful omega coming untouched, crying out Jensen’s name.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Once the DVD stops, Jared growls again, tugging at the ropes digging into his wrists and around his chest, trying to lunge at Jeff. “See? Told you. I gotta say, Jared,” Jeff tsks in the back of his throat, once again circling behind Jared’s chair, “Of the two’a you? My money would’a been on Jenny bein’ the bitch.”  
  
Jared growls again at the insult to his mate and Jeff laughs harder. “You’re gonna pay, JD. When I get outta here, ‘mma enjoy cutting you into little pieces.”  
  
Jeff grabs his hair from behind, pulling his head back, forcefully baring his neck. “You’re not gonna get outta this one, pup,” he whispers. “Gonna tie you down and fuck you proper, show you how a _real_  Alpha does it. Have you beggin’ and writhing on my knot like the bitch you are…”  
  
Jared huffs a sigh when the pressure is released from his hair and he hears the muffled thump of Jeff hitting the floor. He can scent Jensen’s anger, his rage, and it turns him on almost as much as scenting his arousal. “Took you long enough,” Jared complains, shaking his head to get his hair out of his face.  
  
Jensen growls and Jared feels the tip of a blade against his wrists as Jensen cuts through the rope, the cool steel sending shivers down his spine. Once he’s free, Jensen roughly spins him around, his eyes dark and deadly, sparking green depths murderous and Jared wants to drop to his knees right the fuck now. Jensen’s nostrils flare as he lifts one hand, thumb smearing through the blood sluggishly dripping from a cut near Jared’s eyebrow. Jared smiles at his homicidal mate and presses a kiss to his lips. “Tie him up for me okay, babe?”  
  
Jensen searches his eyes for another few seconds before nodding. He lets go of Jared and moves back over to Morgan, kicking him in the gut a few times. Jared crosses his arms and watches, his head tilted to the side. “You know,” he says conversationally. “The damn idiot really believed I was alone.”  
  
“He’s cocky, Jay,” Jensen replies, heaving Jeff into the chair Jared was just in, glancing over Jeff’s shoulder to look at Jared as he ties his hands behind his back.  
  
“Yeah, but he knows what we are, Jen. What  _I_  am. Why would he think I’d come without you? And how come he couldn’t scent you?”  
  
“Maybe he thought Lehne took care’a me?” Jensen half-asks, jerking the rope tighter across Jeff’s chest. “There, that’ll hold him.”  
  
Jensen sits down on the table to the right and takes the DVD of them that Jared hands over. “Think that’s the only one?” Jared asks.  
  
“Yeah, I do. I honestly don’t think he wanted anyone else to know about it, ya know?”  
  
“What about Lehne?” Jared asks.  
  
“Broke his neck,” Jensen answers around a shrug.   
  
“If Jeff told him, there’s the possibility that he told someone else.”  
  
“I don’t think so, Jare,” Jensen says thoughtfully. “The last thing he’d want is it gettin’ out that he’s been bested for years by an omega.” He doesn’t say it to be cruel but Jared still sort of takes offense. Jensen knows that he hates his status as an omega. The only upside is the fact that he gets Jensen out of the deal.  
  
Jeff groans when he comes to, shaking his head to clear it. His head snaps up when he realizes that he’s tied, his eyes narrowed and full of hate when he looks up at Jared and Jensen. “Heya, Jeff,” Jensen says, smiling brightly but Jared can see the danger and rage still behind those glinting green eyes. “Said some pretty shitty things to my mate, man,” he adds, shaking his head, tsking in the back of his throat. “Ordinarily, I’d split you from throat to nuts for even  _looking_  at him sideways but I think this calls for something…bigger, more intimate.” Jensen slides off the desk and steps up to Jared’s side, wrapping one arm around Jared’s waist. “What’d’ya think, baby?”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared smirks as he leans against Jensen’s side, turning his head to nuzzle against Jensen’s jaw. “Sounds perfect, Alpha,” Jared purrs ridiculously and Jensen barely bites back the urge to laugh. He knows that Jared is hamming it up for Jeff – his mate may be submissive but he’s never like this.  
  
Jeff curls his lips up in disgust, his nose wrinkling as he looks at Jared. “He’s no Alpha,” Jeff sneers. “If you ask me, he’s even lower than you. Following an omega? Letting a bitch run the show? No  _real_  Alpha would do that.”  
  
Jensen shakes his head and slides one hand down Jared’s back, over his ass. “This omega is twice the man you’d ever be,” Jensen says simply. He smirks when he feels Jared’s hand on his back as well, Jared’s long fingers curling around the hilt of his favorite knife that’s shoved in the waist of Jensen’s jeans.. He leans up and presses a kiss to Jared’s lips. “Have fun, baby,” he whispers before moving back to sit on the table again.  
  
Jared flips the knife over in one hand, one eyebrow raised as he approaches Jeff. “That the only copy?” he asks, jerking his chin toward the DVD that Jensen’s holding again.  
  
“Fuck you,” Jeff grits out.  
  
Jared sighs – a truly put-upon sound – and drags the tip of his knife down Jeff’s cheek. Jeff hisses, his eyes tightening in pain. “Don’t make this harder on yourself, old man,” Jared says, calm and cool. “’m gonna find out, either way. So we could just cut the shit and make this go so much easier.”  
  
Jeff firms his jaw, staring up at Jared with defiance. Jared glances at Jensen and shrugs one shoulder. Jensen chuckles and shakes his head. “Think he wants the hard way, love,” Jensen states.  
  
“Seems like,” Jared agrees.  
  
The point of the knife digs in under Jeff’s chin, a small gash left in its wake, just enough pressure to hurt. “Now, again… Is that the only copy?” Jared asks slowly.  
  
“Yes,” Jeff hisses. “Like I’d want someone else findin’ out about you?”  
  
Jared nods and without looking at Jensen says, “Do it.”  
  
Jensen breaks the DVD in half and stands, throwing both pieces in the fire, watching as they burn to ash. Once he’s done, he moves back to his spot, settling in to wait while Jared has his fun. If it was up to Jensen, he’d just kill Jeff out-right and they’d be home in time for supper. But Jared’s always been wired a little differently than Jensen.  
  
“Lehne the only one you told?” Jared asks, drawing a matching line down Jeff’s other cheek.  
  
“Like I’d want it gettin’ out about you? Let anyone else know that a useless fuckin’ knot slut got the better of me? Hell no.”  
  
Jared nods, satisfied, and sets about carving Jeff up, good and proper. The Alpha screams, pulling at the ropes, cursing at Jared. And the whole time, Jared just laughs. By the time Jared’s done, Jeff is barely breathing, more blood visible than skin and he’s pretty much begging for death.  
  
Jared wipes his knife on the sleeve of Jeff’s shirt and tucks it in his waistband before sauntering back over toward Jensen. He turns and leans back against Jensen, settling into the open V of Jensen’s legs. Jensen wraps his arms around Jared’s waist and rests his chin on his shoulder. “Want me to make the call?” Jensen asks, nosing through the sweat-damp strands of Jared’s hair that brush his collar.  
  
“Yeah,” Jared breathes, still staring at Morgan, or what’s left of him anyway.  
  
Jensen grabs his cell and hits the speed dial for Chris. “Do it,” he commands as soon as Chris answers.  
  
“You got it, Jen.”  
  
“Call the others and spread the word. I want it done tonight. Completely. No loose ends.”  
  
“Sure thing. And Morgan?”  
  
“Jared’s had his fun, we’re just waitin’ for the end.”  
  
Chris hums and hangs up without another word and Jensen presses a kiss to Jared’s pulse. “’s done,” he whispers against Jared’s neck.  
  
“Good,” Jared replies, cool and calm. He turns his head enough to look at Jensen over his shoulder, blood smattered on his face, his eyes still wild and feral. “He watched that DVD, Jensen,” Jared grits out. “He got off on it. Think we should give him a taste of the real show in his final moments? Let him see what he’ll never have?”  
  
Jensen kisses Jared, despite the awkward angle, shoving his tongue into that wide, generous mouth. The thought of showing Jared off simultaneously excites and enrages him. As their lips move together, his hand slides down Jared’s chest, stopping to cup his hardening length. He kneads the stiff flesh, smirking as Jared moans harshly, his lips ripping away from Jensen’s as his head falls back, automatically baring his throat to his Alpha. “That’s it,” Jensen drawls. “My perfect omega.” He glances at a barely-conscious Jeff and his smirk grows. “See, Morgan? As a  _real_ Alpha, it takes merely a touch of my hand to get the most powerful man in the city to submit to me. Tell me again how ‘m not a real Alpha?”  
  
“Fuck you,” Jeff whispers. “You still follow the bitch around like a lost puppy. Let him run things.” Jeff’s voice is growing hoarse, his chest – which is mostly in ribbons – heaving as he tries to speak.  
  
Jensen snorts a laugh, shaking his head. He gently pushes Jared away, smirking when his mate pouts. “Hold that thought, sweetheart,” Jensen drawls, pressing another quick kiss to Jared’s downturned lips. He stalks toward Jeff and grabs his hair, pulling his head back. “Jared would have you sit here and suffer while you bleed out. And while ‘m not entirely opposed to the idea, I have a mate to fuck and I really don’t wanna do it here.” With a twist of his hands, Jeff’s neck snaps and he slumps in the chair, dead.  
  
“Jensen,” Jared huffs. “Why’d you do that?”  
  
Jensen smiles and pulls Jared into his arms, his hands sliding down to cup Jared’s ass. “He was takin’ too long to die, baby,” Jensen explains. “And I meant what I said, there’s no way ‘mma fuck you here, in front of him, even if he was half-dead.”  
  
“Possessive bastard,” Jared smirks, heat in his gaze.  
  
“Damn straight,” Jensen husks. “Now, get your pretty ass movin’. I got some punishment to deal out.” Jensen chuckles when he smacks Jared on the ass and his mate moans wantonly.  
  
“Yeah, Alpha,” Jared whispers, quickly heading for the door. Jensen trails behind after him, always willing to follow Jared, wherever he goes.

 


	2. Even The Best Fall Down Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After killing Morgan, Jared thought things would go right back to normal. He was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written on 7/19/13 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.
> 
> The sequel Collide, picks up right where that left off, so prior reading is suggested.   
> This was supposed to just be some PWP fun but somehow a bit of plot and angst crept in and this totally got away from me. *hands*

**Chapter Warning:**  AU, RPS, A/B/O, knotting, self-lubrication, BDSM (light), D/s, spanking, rimming, bottom!Jared, sub!Jared, omega!Jared, Dom!Jensen, Alpha!Jensen, top!Jensen, hurt!Jared (mild), violence, blood and gore, attempted non-con (not by either of the Js) crimeboss!Jared, fake Alpha!Jared, angst, h/c, coming untouched  
**  
**  
  
Jensen trails inside behind Jared, smirking when his pretty omega throws a look over his shoulder, equal parts lust, mischief and defiance. Fuck but he loves that look on Jared’s beautiful face.  
  
Jared takes his time climbing the stairs to the second floor of the house. The place is pretty empty – most of their guys still out dealing with Morgan’s scum – but they still part ways at the landing, Jared going on up to the third floor, Jensen heading to the room that everyone else knows as his. He knows that they’ll have to deal with everything that happened tonight once it’s all said and done but right now, he doesn’t want to deal with it. And he sure as hell doesn’t want Jared to deal with it either. Tomorrow morning when the sun is shining they’ll go back to the status quo – Jensen just being the trusted right-hand-man and Jared will go back to being the ruthless Alpha boss that everyone thinks he is but not tonight. Tonight, he’s got plans. During the day, Jared may run this ship but during the dark of night, it’s Jensen’s show.  
  
His gorgeous mate is standing in the middle of their bedroom, flecks of Jeff’s blood still painted across his face and soaking through the light gray t-shirt he’s wearing in spots. His hair is sweat-damp and messy; silky-soft, chocolate-brown waves that Jensen can’t fucking  _wait_  to bury his hands in. Logically, Jensen is a smart enough man to know that the sight shouldn’t turn him on, that the violence his submissive omega showed tonight – shows on almost a daily basis – shouldn’t have him hard as fucking nails, his cock leaking and his knot throbbing but it’s already a well-established fact that neither he or Jared are normal. But sex and violence and Jared are such a heady, deadly combination and even if Jensen was inclined to try, he knows he’d never be able to resist.  
  
Jared still smells like the Alpha pheromones that he has to wear daily and Jensen’s nose twitches, a low growl echoing around the room that he didn’t even realize he’d made until Jared’s shoulders twitch minutely. When Jensen gets close enough, he can just barely make out the sweet, spun-sugar scent of Jared’s arousal, knows that his mate is leaking like a busted pipe for that smell to get past the pheromones at all. The thought makes him even more ravenous for it.  
  
He stops in front of Jared, eyes locked together, and Jensen reaches out, grabbing the neck of Jared’s t-shirt in both hands and rips the fabric in two, leaves it hanging off Jared’s broad shoulders in tatters. Jared’s eyes flutter and Jensen can see the long, thick line of his cock tenting the front of his jeans, sees the stiff flesh twitch.  
  
He leans closer, buries his nose in Jared’s neck, closes his eyes and inhales deeply. That sweet omega scent, the scent of his  _mate_ , is faint – too faint – and Jensen hates it. “C’mon,” he growls, grabbing the front of Jared’s belt and drags him into the en-suite bathroom. Jared shrugs out of his torn, ruined shirt, letting it fall to the tiled floor with a dull, wet sound but he doesn’t dare strip any further, not until Jensen tells him to.  
  
Jensen ignores Jared for a moment – so hard to do when he’s already so fucking turned-on its bordering on painful – and turns on the faucet, letting the water run to get hot enough. He leaves his back to Jared while he pulls off his own t-shirt and kicks off his boots and socks. When he turns around, Jared’s lips part softly and Jensen watches as twin spots of color move slowly across his high cheekbones, his champagne-hazel eyes darkening; those depths turning a pretty gold-flecked emerald-green when he’s aroused.  
  
Jensen licks his lips and pops open the button on his jeans, slowly lowering the zipper, staring at Jared the whole time, sees the bob of his Adam’s apple when he swallows, hears the small – unnoticeable to anyone else besides Jensen – hitch in his breath. Jared’s eyes widen, flashing dangerously for a moment when Jensen kicks off his jeans completely and Jared sees the fact that he’s going commando. Jensen raises an eyebrow, smirking at the look in Jared’s eyes. For all his mate likes to tease that he’s a possessive bastard, Jared’s just as Goddamn bad.  
  
Once Jensen’s naked and the water is just this side of scalding – just how Jared likes it – he steps into the stall, glass door open, eyes still locked with Jared’s. Jensen drops his hand, fingers curling around his own cock, moaning harshly when he starts to stroke his blood-thick length. He teases his fingers over his leaking slit, traces his thumbnail down the thick vein underneath, stroking up and down a few times before squeezing around the base, around his already swelling knot.  
  
Jared whimpers, his fingers twitching at his sides, thick denim of his jeans not doing a damn thing to conceal the thick line of his cock, the material a little darker near the waistband, pre-come already leaking through. Licking his lips, Jensen leans back against the wet tiles and growls, “Turn around.” Jared turns around quickly – always so eager to please and obey. “That’s it, baby,” Jensen praises. “Spread your legs a little for me then bend over.”  
  
Jared once again doesn’t hesitate, shuffles his feet apart and bends at the waist, long arms hanging down, palms nearly touching the floor. Jensen groans, seeing what he’d expected – hoped – to see; the seat of Jared’s jeans dark and wet, his natural slick leaking so much he’s soaking through the denim. “Oh fuck, Jared,” he growls. “So fuckin’ hot. I can see how wet you are for me, sweetheart.”  
  
He continues to idly play with his cock and knot – not trying to get off, just wanting to tease and torment them both – as Jared holds the position. After a few moments, the sight just isn’t enough anymore. “Strip,” he commands. “But stay turned around. As soon as you’re done, bend back over.”  
  
Jared’s breath hitches on one of those breathy little moans but he scrambles to obey, quickly shucking off his jeans and sinfully-tight black boxer briefs. Jensen has just a moment to admire the flexing muscles of Jared’s strong back before Jared bends again, his legs obscenely wide.  
  
“Sonuvabitch,” Jensen breathes. Jared’s hole is practically drenched, thick, clear liquid leaking down his thighs, the pretty pink ring of muscle fluttering just slightly, just enough for him to see. Inhaling deeply, making sure to get himself under control again before he speaks, Jensen lets go of himself. “Get in here. You fuckin’ reek.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared turns and bites down on his bottom lip, practically running to close the distance between them. Once he’s in the shower and under the amazingly hot water, Jensen closes the shower door and grabs the soap. “Gonna get the Alpha stink off’a you first,” his mate drawls. “Get you smellin’ right again. Then ‘mma get you outta here and beat that perfect ass red and raw.” Jared can’t stop the moan that tears from his throat – loves the punishment almost as much as the reward – and drops his head, glancing up through his lashes and the wet fringe of his bangs coyly. “Like the sound’a that, sweetheart? Want me to blister you good ‘fore I fuck you into the mattress?”  
  
“Yes,” Jared pleads, breathless. “Please, Alpha.” That whiskey-rough growl of Jensen’s is enough to make him tremble but when he adds that hint of his natural, honey-thick Texas drawl, Jared’s whole body turns to mush.  
  
Jensen smirks up at him as he slowly, methodically, washes every inch of his body, lingering on his cock and his hole, teasing Jared nearly into a frenzy. He was already worked up just watching Jensen stroke himself, the water sliding down his slightly pale, freckled skin in tiny rivulets making Jared’s mouth water, wanting to chase every single drop with his lips and tongue. Then the thrill of putting himself on display for his perfect mate, knowing that Jensen was seeing how wet and desperate he is and Jared’s honestly close to fucking breaking. And it’s been a damn long time since Jensen’s been able to push him past his limits. Mostly, Jared doesn’t  _have_  limits.  
  
Jensen scrubs until Jared’s skin is pink and raw from more than just the temperature of the water then lovingly washes his hair; thick, strong fingers sliding through the strands, massaging his scalp, and Jared swears if he was a cat, he’d be purring right about now. Jensen chuckles, warm and soft and throaty, and Jared trembles.  
  
Once they’re done, Jensen leads him – still wet – into their bedroom, pushes Jared down onto the mattress with a firm but gentle hand between his shoulder blades. Jared kneels on the edge of the bed, most of his legs hanging off, and his weight resting on his palms. Jensen’s hand slides down his shower-damp back and Jared’s closes his eyes, concentrating on nothing but his Alpha’s touch. The first crack of Jensen’s hand against his ass stings – the first one always does, always takes him by surprise even though he knows it’s coming – and he can’t help but flinch a bit, his hips tucking in.  
  
Jensen’s other hand is pressing into the small of his back, a grounding weight, his Master’s silent way of connecting, letting Jared know he’s there. The next slap still stings but he’s more prepared this time. His toes curl and his fingers clench in the sheets and he keeps his eyes squeezed closed, focusing on nothing but the fire in his ass and the ache in his groin.  
  
Jensen takes it easy on him – or well, easier than usual – and sticks with his hand but he’s not pulling the hits very much, using most of his impressive strength. The soft, soothing murmur of his voice can barely be heard over the slap of skin against skin, the blood rushing in Jared’s ear.  
  
“Gonna teach you yet, love,” Jensen grumbles. “Know that you can take care’a yourself but you can’t willingly put yourself in the kinda situations that you did tonight. ‘s up to me to protect you, whether you like it or not.” He pauses, sliding his rough, gun-calloused palm over the fiery-hot stinging flesh of his ass. “Or do you want me to stop takin’ care’a you? Don’t want me to be there anymore? Don’t wanna be my sweet omega, my perfect, beautiful mate anymore?”  
  
“Jensen,” Jared breathes, feels rare tears biting at the corner of his eyes and not just from the stinging in his backside. “No, never. Love you. Love that you take care’a me, that you’re my Alpha. But I had’ta do that tonight. I  _had_  to, Master. Please… Had to protect us, myself.”  
  
“I know that,” Jensen soothes. “But you’re mine, sweetheart. And you put yourself in a position that couldn’a taken you away from me.”  
  
“Knew you were gonna be there, knew you had my back. Just like always.” Jared drops his head between his shoulders, a few traitorous tears streaking down his cheeks. He knew Jensen was upset about this, knew when he teased about punishing him later that his Alpha wasn’t happy, but he hadn’t known it was really this bad. He feels a flash of disappointment in himself, hates knowing that he made his Alpha unhappy. “Please,” he whispers. “’m sorry, Jensen.”  
  
Jared gasps when he feels Jensen’s shower-warm and damp chest pressing against his back, his strong, capable hands gripping his hips, his nose buried in the hair at the nape of Jared’s neck. “I know, baby,” he whispers. “And ‘m not mad. I was  _scared_ , Jared,” Jensen admits, voice shot-through with love and lust and extremely rare vulnerability. “I… I can’t lose you. Don’t know what I’d do…”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen loves Jared more than anything in the world, more than life itself, and the thought that tonight could have went so wrong has been eating at him since they first started talking about it. He doesn’t do well with fear and nerves, especially when it comes to Jared, and it’s even harder for him to admit it. But he has to get it through Jared’s thick, stubborn head that he can’t take risks like that. Not when Jensen needs him so Goddamn much.  
  
Inhaling deeply, finally – fucking  _finally_  – catching the full power of Jared’s sweet scent, Jensen bites down on the skin beneath Jared’s ear. “Scoot up,” he commands softly. “Wanna… God, need’ta fuck you, Jay. Need’ta be inside you, knot you, feel you all around me.”  
  
Jensen pulls away enough to let Jared crawl up the mattress, his ass a beautiful cherry-red, his slick still soaking the cleft of his ass, sluggishly leaking down his thighs. Jensen knee-walks his way up the mattress behind Jared, urging him close to the pillows. He once again plasters himself to Jared’s back, his hands sliding over the sharp jut of his hips, his fingers brushing over his mating scar just on the inside of his left hipbone. Jared whimpers, his hips trembling and twitching under Jensen’s palms. “You’re mine,” Jensen rasps against the side of Jared’s long, beautiful neck.  
  
“Always,” Jared breathes.  
  
Jensen lines up blindly between them, his cock sinking into the tight, velvety-wet heat of Jared’s ass, his fingers clenching hard enough to bruise on Jared’s hips, his mate’s ass fiery-hot against his thighs and hips once he’s buried to the hilt. “Fuck,” Jensen groans. “So fuckin’ good. Always so fuckin’ good.” Inhaling deeply, Jensen slides his hands up Jared’s chest, bracing him as he pulls him upright, Jared’s legs spread wide over his thighs, his back against Jensen’s chest. “Grab the headboard,” Jensen manages to grit out between his teeth, the heat of Jared’s ass – inside and out – making his fucking head spin.  
  
Jared reaches out, his hands shaky as he curls his long fingers around the wooden slats of their headboard. “That’s it, love,” Jensen praises. “Now ride me.”  
  
Jared moans harshly, his head dropping back against Jensen’s shoulder, his hips rolling slow and easy to start, tight little figure eights that feel fucking amazing. Sadly, it’s not going to take long – it never does when Jared shows off that brilliant, brutal temper or Jensen gets protective and possessive – but that’s okay because it’s going to be explosive.  
  
Jensen grips Jared’s hips again and grinds up against Jared’s downward thrusts, his rapidly swelling knot catching on Jared’s rim, getting harder and harder to pull out every time. Jared cries out, his fingers white-knuckle tight on the headboard, his chest heaving. “Jensen,” he murmurs, rocking back and forth, the drag of friction despite the slick feels too fucking good and Jensen can’t hold back.  
  
“Fuck, baby,” he pants. “Gonna…” he trails off, unable to finish but he doesn’t need to. Jared clenches down  _hard_  and Jensen shoves inside as far as he can, his knot catching and tying them together. The first wave of his release trips Jared over the edge and he nearly screams, his shoulders curling in and his head falling forward.  
  
After a few long moments, they’ve both managed to catch their breaths a bit and Jensen’s heart has settled into a healthier rhythm and Jared’s half-asleep against his chest. He tips them to the side, pressing as close as he can to keep his knot from tugging at Jared’s rim, doesn’t want to hurt his sleepy, sated mate.  
  
Jared snuggles back against his chest with a sleepy sigh and turns his head, his eyes closed and his lips pursed in a silent request for a kiss. Jensen chuckles and presses their lips together, kissing Jared nice and slow, deep and thorough. “Hmm,” Jared hums, threads his fingers through the ones Jensen has splayed wide across his belly. “Love you,” he breathes. “And thanks.”  
  
“For?” Jensen prompts when Jared trails off.  
  
“Everything,” Jared whispers before falling asleep completely.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
The next morning, Jared has Jensen call a meeting with their inner circle while he takes a shower and slips into his Alpha persona. It’s tiring and sometimes Jared wishes that he didn’t have to do it. But even if he let Jensen take over things, he’d be reduced to nothing more than Jensen’s plaything in the eyes of their men and Jared can’t handle that. He may love getting fucked and having Jensen’s fat knot spreading his hole wide, may submit to Jensen without a second thought and fall to his knees at his Alpha’s feet but he’s no simpering, sniveling omega. He’s not a slave to his fucking biology. He dealt with all this shit – his heats and his need to be fucked and owned – by himself for years before he met Jensen. He  _chooses_  to submit to Jensen, to let Jensen have him like no one else ever has or will.  
  
To his surprise, when he gets to the conference room, Chris is the only one there. Jared raises one eyebrow and looks at the Alpha, waiting not-so-patiently for an explanation.  
  
“I asked Jensen and the boys to give us a few,” Chris finally explains.  
  
“Okay,” Jared replies, nodding. “And just what is it you couldn’t say to me in front of our men? In front of Jensen?”  
  
“The accusation that Morgan made… It’s true isn’t it?”  
  
Jared’s jaw clenches, anger and a quick shot of fear burning hot through his system. “What the fuck makes you think that?” he grits out.  
  
“C’mon, Jared,” Christian sighs. “I’ve known you since you were a skinny little runt runnin’ shit for JD. We’ve been through a lot and I followed you willingly. But… Don’t treat me like ‘m stupid. The bi-yearly trips that you and Jensen take, how quickly you moved on this shit with Morgan. The fact that I’ve never seen you  _or_  Jensen chasin’ skirts or fuckin’ some bitch like the rest’a us.” Chris pauses, shrugging a shoulder. “’s not hard to figure out, boss. ‘specially if you know what you’re lookin’ for.”  
  
“I don’t…”  
  
“Also helps that I stopped by Jensen’s room last night and he wasn’t there,” Chris interrupts.  
  
“So? That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe he just was out,” Jared grinds out, his jaw still clenched painfully.  
  
Chris snorts and shakes his head. “Yeah, after ten years, the guy just suddenly decides to go out and find a nice warm pussy for the night,” he says sarcastically.  
  
Jared’s eyes narrow and he feels his blood beginning to boil. “Like I said, Christian, I have no clue what the fuck you mean.”  
  
Jared gets up and storms into his office, startling Chad, Jason and Steve. Jensen raises one eyebrow and Jared shakes his head, his hands curled into fists. Jensen sighs and asks the other three to wait for them in the conference room. Once the door swings closed behind a nervous and confused Chad, Jensen’s on his feet in a heartbeat, those strong, warm arms that Jared loves so Goddamn much wrapping around him. Jared relaxes for a half a second before he remembers  _why_ he’s so fucking pissed and he shoves Jensen away, ignoring the dark look in his mate’s eyes. This is the exact fucking problem. He let Jensen in, let him have Jared and it’s going to end up crumbling everything, destroying everything he worked so hard for, destroying  _Jared_ , and it could very well end up getting him killed. He may not be a slave to his biology but he _knew_ that someday it’d come back to bite him in the ass.  
  
“You wanna tell me what the fuck the problem is?” Jensen growls, all low, menacing Alpha and the omega inside Jared is screaming, wanting to fall at his mate’s feet and beg forgiveness. But the Alpha that he’s fooled everyone into thinking he is – even himself sometimes – snarls at Jensen and stalks away, punching a hole through the wall for good measure.  
  
“Jared!” Jensen snaps, commanding, Jared’s  _Master_ , and he shakes his head, the sting of the cuts on his knuckles grounding him slightly as he concentrates on the feel of blood sliding down his fingers.  
  
“Handle the debriefing,” Jared grits out, tone low and tense and almost as menacing as Jensen’s.  
  
“What the hell’re you gonna do?” Jensen demands.  
  
“None of your business,” Jared forces himself to say, proving that he’s _not_ enslaved to his nature, his biology, proving that he does possess the ability to deny Jensen. Funny, it still feels like his insides are being scooped out and that someone is crushing his heart.  
  
He doesn’t wait for Jensen to say anything else – honestly doesn’t think he can ignore one more command or stand to be here one more moment and look into those furious,  _devastated_ , bottle-green eyes. He storms out of his office and out of the house, tires squealing as he takes off out of the driveway, not looking back once even though it feels like his ripped-out heart got left behind at Jensen’s feet.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen sits through the debriefing, barely resisting the urge to scream at them all to hurry the fuck up. He has a wayward, pissed off mate to find, after all.  
  
And apparently he has to deal with the fact that a few of Morgan’s more vicious lackeys avoided the extermination last night. Great. Just fucking great. Like he needs  _that_  on top of everything else.  
  
Jensen’s not stupid. Jared was  _fine_  this morning, better than actually, all sweet loving smiles and lazy kisses. He knows it has something to do with Christian and whatever the other Alpha wanted to talk to Jared in private about.  
  
Truthfully, if Jensen wants to be honest with himself, he knows what this is about. There is only one thing in the world that can get Jared that angry – his own biology. So Jensen’s best guess – and he’d bet the Porsche that he’s right – is that Chris figured it out and confronted Jared. He doesn’t think Steve, Chad or Jason know, at least they didn’t mention it to him. But then again, why would they?  
  
“Chris?” Jensen asks as the other four stand up to leave once the meeting is over. Chris looks at him, one eyebrow raised and a suspicious but knowing look in his icy-cold blue eyes. “A moment?”  
  
Chris nods and they’re both silent as Steve, Chad and Jason leave. Once they’re alone Jensen stands up and paces the room, anger burning hot in his veins. “Anything you wanna say to me?” Jensen asks. He wants to demand Chris tell him what he knows, what he said or did to Jared but on the off chance that he’s wrong, he has to play it cool.  
  
Chris sighs and slumps back in his seat. “I just asked for the truth, man,” he drawls. “Think after all this time, ‘m entitled to it.”  
  
“You aren’t entitled to shit,” Jensen growls.  
  
“I’ve been in this syndicate for fifteen fuckin’ years,” Chris growls back. “I followed him from Jeff’s and I put my life on the line for him. I think I have the right to know if ‘m workin’ for a bitch.”  
  
Jensen grabs Chris by his collar and slams him up against the wall. “Whatever Jared may or may not be, don’t you  _dare_  call him that.”  
  
They stare each other down for a few moments then Chris deflates. “Look, Jen,” he sighs. “I don’t… I don’t fuckin’ care. Really I don’t. I just don’t wanna be treated like an idiot. ‘til you came along, I was Jared’s right hand man. And don’t get me wrong, you’re great at it and you manage to keep him in line better’n I ever could. But he’s like a fuckin’ brother to me and I just need’ta know what ‘m really defending here.”  
  
“It shouldn’t matter,” Jensen insists. And it  _shouldn’t_. Even if Jared wasn’t his mate, Jensen wouldn’t have a problem with Jared being the boss. He’s wickedly brilliant and cunning and lethal and Jensen respects him as a man, as the crime lord extraordinaire that he’s become, in a separate capacity from his mate.  
  
Christian just shrugs.  
  
“So let’s say it’s true, that Jared is an omega and my mate, would you still follow him?”  
  
“Inta hell and back,” Chris growls without hesitation. “If I know the truth, I can be better equipped to help protect him. I  _like_  my gig here, Jen. And believe it or not, I do care for Jared. And I get the need for the charade, I do. And I wouldn’t suggest tellin’ anyone else. Even though I think Chad, Steve and Jason would be cool. I just… Fuck, man. I don’t even know…”  
  
Jensen sighs and steps away from Chris, flopping into a chair. “’s true,” he hears himself say. God, Jared is going to kick his fucking ass for this. “Jay and I have been mated since the day we met.”  
  
Chris sits down next to him and leans his forearms on the table. “Wow, so you really… I mean, it’s really real?”  
  
Jensen snorts a laugh and nods. “Yeah, man. Been together all this time. ‘s real and true and I love him more than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone. I’d die for him in a second. And even though he’s an omega, he’s not hindered by it or bound to his biology. He’s the toughest, most stubborn son of a bitch I know,” Jensen adds, chuckling.  
  
Chris barks out a laugh of his own. “Got that shit right.”  
  
“Thing is, it’s not like he’s overcompensating because he’s an omega either. He really is more Alpha than omega… ‘cept when it comes to me.”  
  
Chris nods, his lips pursed in thought. “You looked like you were about to rip the head off’a someone when you came in here,” he says after a few moments of silence. “Take it things didn’t go well after Jared stormed outta here?”  
  
“No,” Jensen huffs a humorless laugh, “That’s puttin’ it mildly. I… Fuck, Chris, I’ve  _never_  seen him like that. He was… He was furious but underneath it, he was terrified. And Jared doesn’t do scared. Even when the threat came from Morgan, he was more pissed than anything. But he was never afraid of it.” Jensen pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “He… He pushed me away and stormed outta the house,” he admits weakly after a moment. “I don’t… I don’t know where he is or what he’s doin’ and now that I know there’s still some’a JD’s guys out there, it makes it even worse.”  
  
“Did JD tell any of ‘em the truth ‘bout Jared?”  
  
“Just Lehne from what Jared could get outta him. And I believe that. But that doesn’t mean that one’a them didn’t figure it out or overhear JD and Fred, ya know? He, uh he had a DVD. That Colin kid recorded me’n Jare…”  
  
“Fuck,” Chris growls, dragging one hand through his hair. “So ‘s no tellin’ if one’a them saw that DVD.” Chris closes his eyes for a few moments, his brain obviously working overtime and suddenly Jensen is stupidly glad that he knows the truth now, can help him get Jared back. “Does JT have his phone on him?” Chris asks eventually, his eyes snapping back open.  
  
“He should,” Jensen shrugs.  
  
Chris nods and digs his own phone out. “Hey, man. Grab your laptop and get your ass back to the conference room,” Chris growls.  
  
“Look,” Jensen sighs, licking his lips. “Thanks for this, man. But… if you’re lyin’, Chris… You don’t wanna see the lengths I’ll go to protect my mate.”  
  
Chris smirks and nods. “Duly noted.”  
  
Steve bursts in the door a few moments later. “What?” he asks even as he’s setting up his computer.  
  
“Track Jared’s cell,” Chris commands, ignoring the questioning glance from Steve.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared drives, no real destination in mind, a million thoughts and worries swirling through his brain. He doesn’t know why he ran, it’s fucking pointless really. It’s not like he can actually  _leave_ , not his house, the life, Jensen.  
  
Jensen.  
  
God, his mate was  _furious_. Jared’s never seen him look so angry. And if Jared wants to be honest, he’s not a hundred percent sure where that anger was aimed, him or Christian.  
  
He sighs when his phone rings for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. He should just turn the damn thing off but he can’t make himself cut off that last link to Jensen.  
  
With another sigh – shaky this time – he answers, barely getting out the word hello before Jensen starts rambling.  
  
“Jared, baby. Fuck… What the hell’re you doin’? Come home. Now.”  
  
“I… Jensen, I can’t,” Jared grinds out, his throat tight and his eyes stinging. Fuck. He can’t afford to be this Goddamn weak. Especially now that Christian figured out the truth. It’ll only be a matter of time before the others do and then Jared’s life will be over.  
  
“You have to. Jare, there’s something that you don’t know. Morgan’s men…”  
  
Jared hangs up, not caring to hear anything else about Morgan or his men or his own men. Truthfully, he just can’t bring himself to listen to Jensen’s voice. He knows, like he knows his own name, that if he has to listen to that velvet over gravel growl he’ll turn tail and run home to his Alpha like the bitch he was cursed to be.  
  
He ends up at one of the bars he owns. He’s never actually set foot in the place before so they don’t know who he is and it’s crawling with Alphas and Jared’s looking for a good fight, needs to do something about the anger and fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins.  
  
He orders a shot and a beer and heads to a table in the back, watching the scene around him. It’s mostly quiet for a while and Jared’s getting bored – too much time sitting idle leaving his brain  _way_ too much time to think – when there’s a commotion in the back by the pool tables.  
  
Four Alphas have a female omega trapped in the corner and she’s crying, begging them not to touch her, screaming that she has a mate. The Alphas smirk and one of them slaps her across the face. “Omega bitches don’t have mates, whore,” he sneers. “All an omega is good for is spreadin’ their legs.”  
  
Jared sees red.  
  
It’s not only the ignorance of the Alpha when it comes to omegas but more so because of the way they’re treating her. Omega or not, she’s a female and Jared’s not that cold-hearted of a bastard that he thinks women should be beat on and raped.  
  
With a growl, he pushes himself up and stalks toward them, not realizing until it’s too late that these are four of Morgan’s toughest, most ruthless and cruel men. Hell, they make Jensen and Jared look like fucking boy scouts or choir boys or something. They were one of the reasons Jared ducked and ran from Morgan’s crew in the first place.  
  
Oh well, he’d wanted a fight and damn if he’s going to back out now.  
  
Jared may be ruthless and able to handle his own but it’s four against one and even with two of his favorite blades, they end up getting the best of him. He gets in some great shots – one of them will be blind for life in his left eye and the other will never walk right again – but in end, they take him down and drag him out the back of the bar.  
  
There’s an empty factory right behind – how fucking convenient; God, when the hell did his life turn into such a fucking cliché – and they drag him there. The cuffs are too tight when they tie him up and he snarls and kicks at them, satisfaction burning through him when he hears the snap of one of their kneecaps.  
  
The one he can best figure is the leader – fuck if he can remember his name – grabs him by the hair and yanks his head back. “Fight pretty good for a bitch,” he growls. Jared frowns, a low growl tearing from his throat. “Oh, don’t be that way, Jared. We know exactly who you are. And  _what_  you are.” The four of them laugh hysterically and Jared realizes then that he’s pretty much completely freaking screwed. They managed to somehow find out the truth about him from Jeff and now they’re going to kill him.  
  
The two that he’d injured at the bar disappear into the back part of the warehouse, no doubt to try and deal with their wounds and the one whose knee he just broke limps forward and punches him in the stomach. Jared groans, jerking at his cuffs, glaring at the two Alphas. “If you think you’re such badasses, why don’t you uncuff me?” Jared spits.  
  
The leader is taller than him and built like a brick shit house. Jared starts calling him Tiny in his head and he thinks it’s fucking hilarious. It’s very possible he might have a concussion.  
  
Tiny’s lips pull up into a sneer and his nose wrinkles. “We know what you did to Morgan, what you’re capable of even though you’re a filthy omega whore.”  
  
Jared growls and lunges forward. The other one – not Tiny, hehe – meets him half-way. Jared drops his shoulders, smirking when he rams the guy in the stomach, the thud when they hit the ground. Jared head-butts him, seeing stars for a moment, his thighs squeezing tight around the guys waist. Not even giving it a second thought, he falls forward, burying his teeth into the guy’s jugular and clamping down  _hard_.  
  
When Tiny pulls Jared off of the other guy by the hair of his head, Jared takes a chunk of his neck with him, spitting blood and flesh right in Tiny’s face.  
  
“You’re gonna pay for that, bitch,” Tiny growls, tossing Jared onto the ground. He grabs Jared’s jeans and rips them off, the tearing of denim loud even over Jared’s harsh breathing and yelling. “I swear, if you fuckin’ touch me you’ll fuckin’ regret it! I’ll cut your dick off and shove it down your throat!” Jared screams.  
  
Tiny merely smirks at him, one beefy hand wrapped around his throat, Jared’s arms cuffed and pinned awkwardly under his back. He shoves Jared’s legs apart with his knees, free hand working open the fly of his jeans. “’mma fuck you ‘til you bleed,” he whispers darkly. “Gonna make you scream and cry like the bitch you are. Show you the only thing you’re good for.”  
  
Jared squeezes his thighs, trying to close his legs, but it’s no use. He tries to kick Tiny in the back but the angle is all wrong and it doesn’t even phase the Alpha. “Lemme go you piece’a shit,” Jared growls. “You’re dead whether you do this or not. ‘s up to you just how long and painful ‘s gonna be.”  
  
Tiny smirks and reaches between Jared’s legs, thrusting two fingers inside his clenched, dry hole. “Yeah? And just who’s gonna stop me?”  
  
“Me.”  
  
Jared damn-near sobs with relief. God he’s never been so fucking glad to hear Jensen’s voice.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen’s blood boils, taking in the scene as he stalks across the dirty warehouse floor. His mate – his beautiful, fiery, hot-headed omega – is trapped beneath one of Morgan’s goons, Jared’s arms trapped beneath him and the guy’s hand on his throat. What has Jensen at homicidal levels though is the fact that Jared’s naked from the waist down and the guy’s roughly shoving two fingers inside him.  
  
Furious hazel eyes snap to his and Jensen almost falters. The anger is there, the blood-lust, but it’s the fear that he can see that makes him want to tear the whole fucking world apart.  
  
Chris is right behind him but Jensen barely registers that – or his mate’s pained grunt – when he pulls the guy off of Jared, throwing him to the ground, his knife at his throat in a heartbeat. “Normally, I’d drawl this out,” Jensen growls. “Make you bleed and scream for  _hours_  for even _thinking_  about touching him. But right now, I just want you fuckin’ dead.”  
  
“Jensen!” Jared screams. He doesn’t look at his mate, refuses to take his eyes off the Alpha beneath him. He hears a scuffle, Jared growling at Christian, then his knife is being ripped from his hands.  
  
He glances up then. Jared’s shaking, his eyes wide and wild, his chest heaving. “Move,” Jared growls. Jensen opens his mouth, to argue or try to talk to Jared,  _something_ , but before he can breathe, he’s being shoved aside and Jared falls to his knees. Chris must have uncuffed him and his wrists are bruised and raw, an angry-red and Jensen wants to grab him and make sure he’s okay. He reaches out, falling back with a surprised sound as Jared reaches down and cuts the other Alpha’s dick off. The Alpha screams in pain, thrashing around but he can’t get away – Jensen’s still straddling his legs and he looks up to see Chris holding his arms.  
  
Tears stream down Jared’s cheeks when he takes the guy’s cock that he just cut off and shoves it into his mouth, down his throat. “I warned you,” Jared whispers, cold and hard. Jensen’s never seen him like this. It scares him.  
  
With a vicious swipe across his Adam’s apple, Jared slices the other man’s throat. He then drops Jensen’s knife and stumbles toward the back of the warehouse. Jensen jerks his chin at Chris and he gets up and follows Jared. Jensen checks to make sure that no one else is around, flinches when he hears two gun shots coming from somewhere toward the back and Jared’s rage filled howl. Jared stumbles back toward the door, not paying Jensen any attention and not sticking around to enjoy the last breath this asshole takes like he usually does. Chris helps Jensen up, jerking his head back toward where he and Jared just were. “There were two more back there,” Chris says gruffly. “’s the four that got away from the raid on Morgan’s men last night.”  
  
Jensen wants to puke.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared swipes angrily at the tears streaming down his cheeks as he stalks toward his car, not giving a flying fuck that he’s still naked from the waist down and there’s blood and dirt all over him. No one stops him so if anyone sees, they ignore it.  
  
Jared drives back to the house, slams through the front door, momentarily surprised when he doesn’t see anyone on his way up the stairs, but in the long run, that’s just one more thing he doesn’t give a fuck about. He slams the bedroom door closed and locks it before stumbling across the room and locking the door that leads up from Jensen’s room as well. His breath hitches and he hates himself more than he ever has before. Maybe they’re all right, maybe he is just a weak omega bitch, a whore that’s only good for spreading his legs.  
  
The sheets are still messy from when they woke up this morning and Jared can smell Jensen as he passes by the bed to head into the bathroom. He avoids the mirror as he strips off the rest of his clothes – not because he’s afraid of seeing the cuts and bruises and blood he can feel, no, because he doesn’t want to see the traitorous tears.  
  
He sets the water all the way to hot – even hotter than he usually likes his showers – and steps under the spray, his whole body trembling with rage and fear as he stands under the stream, his forehead pressing against the slick tiles. He’s not even remotely surprised when the bathroom door splinters open where Jensen planted his boot in the middle of it not even ten minutes later.  
  
Jensen flings open the glass door and steps into the shower fully dressed, hissing at the hot water. Jared doesn’t look at him,  _can’t_  look at him. It’s too much. He just wants it all over with. Strong arms wrap around his waist and Jared tenses, a low, warning growl bursting from his throat.  
  
“I know you’re pissed,” Jensen murmurs softly. “And I know that you don’t wanna see me right now. Hell, the locked doors I had to kick down were proof enough of that. But… Fuck, baby… Just,” he pauses, clearing his throat but Jared can still hear the emotion, “Just let me hold you for a Goddamn minute.”  
  
Jared doesn’t say anything, lets Jensen hold him, but he doesn’t relax either. His whole body is still held stiff, every muscle aching and he feels sick to his stomach and his heart aches and he may love Jensen with every ounce of his being but he wishes like hell that he wasn’t an omega, even if that means that he and Jensen wouldn’t be together.  
  
He’s always hated his biology and his status and wishes he’d been born the Alpha he should have been – the Alpha he looks like – but he’s never once _actually_ wished it away. It had always been enough – having Jensen – to put up with the rest of it.  
  
Jared doesn’t know what it means that he can’t feel that way right now.  
  
Soft, plump lips press between his shoulder blades and Jared twitches, for the first time in ten years truly considers fighting Jensen. Sure, they’ll fight, throw punches and kicks and knock each other around, knives and blood often ending up in bed with them, but it’s always been more or less like foreplay.  
  
Now, he wants to  _hurt_  Jensen.  
  
“Talk to me, Jare,” Jensen murmurs against his skin.  
  
“Fuck you,” Jared grits out, squeezing his eyes closed. “Don’t wanna talk. Don’t wanna fuckin’ cuddle. Don’t wanna see you or smell you or feel you.” Jared inhales deeply, his bruised ribs protesting. “Just go away.”  
  
Jensen grabs his arms and spins him around, pressing his back against the tiles. Jensen’s eyes are glinting in the harsh light, green pools of fire and misery. “’s that what you want?” he grinds out, tone harsh and cold.  
  
“Yes,” Jared whispers.  
  
“Yeah, well, too fuckin’ bad,” Jensen growls. “You’re my mate and I fuckin’ love you and ‘m not gonna let you push me away.” He pauses, his hands loosening their death-grip on Jared’s biceps, sliding up to his shoulders, his neck. “I… I know that you’re angry, Jared,” he says softly after a few seconds. “Believe me, I know. And you have every right to be but I just… I wanna help you. Please, baby? Let me help you?”  
  
“You can’t!” Jared yells, forcefully pushing Jensen away so that he can get out of the shower. It’s too confined, even as big as the damn thing is, and Jared feels trapped. Of fucking course, Jensen follows, stalking after him as he heads into their bedroom. The door is in splinters and Jared snorts out a humorless laugh when he looks at it.  
  
“I  _can_  help you, if you’ll just let me,” Jensen says softly.  
  
Jared whirls around and spreads his arms out to his side. “How can you  _possibly_  help me, Jensen? Can you make it so that none of this happened? Or, better yet, can you make it so that I’m not an omega to begin with? Until you can do either of those things, just shut your fuckin’ mouth.”  
  
Jensen’s jaw clenches and he takes a few steps forward, his hands curled into fists at his side. “Considering what you’ve been through today, I’ll overlook the attitude and the tone and the disrespect but don’t think you’ll be allowed to get away with much more.”  
  
Jared scoffs and takes a step closer himself. “You gonna put me in my place?” he sneers. “Don’t forget,  _Alpha_ , I’ve already killed two today and seriously injured two more.”  
  
Deep down, Jared’s inner omega is screaming at him, clawing at his brain, trying to force him to his knees, to stop baiting his mate. And the submissive in him is recoiling at the way he’s treating his Master. But Jared just can’t  _stop_. He doesn’t know how. He’s furious and scared and he doesn’t know how to handle those emotions aside from violence.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen knows that Jared is hurting, that he doesn’t mean any of what he’s saying but it doesn’t stop it from hurting any less.  
  
Squaring his shoulders, he inhales deeply, exhales slowly, and unclenches his fists. “Is this really what you want?” he asks again. “Do you want me to leave? Take another mate? Do you want me to go out and fuck someone else? Hold someone else in my arms and tell  _them_  that I love them?”  
  
The hurt that passes through Jared’s eyes damn-near kills Jensen, almost brings him to his knees, but he needs to get this out, needs to fix this, and he’s just hoping that if he can reach past the anger and fear, he can get Jared to actually _hear_  him and let him help.  
  
Jared lifts his chin but the wibble of his bottom lip betrays him. “Yes,” he whispers.  
  
“Fine,” Jensen huffs, closing the distance between them. He doesn’t touch Jared but he gets close enough that his mate can smell him, can feel the heat from his body. “I’ll leave. Go find myself another mate,” he really wouldn’t be able to, Jared’s too far inside him to ever come back out, but physically, he could, “I’ll go find me another sweet, pretty omega to bend over for my cock, my knot. I’ll go find someone else to love, to spend the rest of my life adoring and cherishing.” He stops, searching Jared’s eyes. “That what you want me to do, sweetheart?”  
  
Jared’s chin wibbles and tears pool in his hazel-gray eyes. “Jensen,” he whimpers, his whole body trembling. “I… I can’t… I don’t… Fuck, please. H-help me…”  
  
Jensen pulls Jared into his arms, controlling them as best as he can when he ends up with all of Jared’s massive weight and they fall to the floor. “’m sorry,” Jensen whispers, pressing a kiss to Jared’s forehead. “’m not gonna go anywhere, Jay. I don’t want another mate. I got my perfect mate right here.” He rocks his omega back and forth slightly, rubbing one hand up and down his muscular, trembling back. “Talk to me, Jay?” he asks. “Tell me what you need me to do.”  
  
“I don’t… I don’t know, Jen,” Jared admits, tucking his head under Jensen’s jaw, his face pressed against Jensen’s neck. “’m… There’s so much goin’ on inside my head and I can’t think straight. I just know that ‘m so fuckin’ angry and scared. I can’t… I don’t wanna lose you.”  
  
“Baby, you will  _never_  lose me,” Jensen promises, nosing through Jared’s wet hair.  
  
Jared’s whole body goes limp but his massive frame is still trembling. He knows that it’s killing Jared to feel this weak, this vulnerable, even though it’s just the two of them. Jared may be an omega and a submissive but he’s by no means weak. Jensen doesn’t think any less of him for it. He just wants to help Jared.  
  
With a sigh, Jensen scoops Jared up off the floor and carries him over the bed, gently laying him down on the mattress. Swollen, tear-filled, haunted eyes blink open to look at him, more gray now than hazel or green and Jensen hates the lack of their usual color. His face is littered with cuts and bruises, along with his chest and stomach, and sadly, there’s really nothing Jensen can do for him to help with the physical aspect of what happened. He just hopes that he can at least help with the emotional part. And that Jared will let him.  
  
Jared watches him warily as he strips down to his boxer briefs and t-shirt before crawling into bed beside his mate. It feels weird, he’s never slept with Jared with clothes on before. “What’re you doin’?” Jared croaks out, his voice wrecked from screaming and being choked and emotion.  
  
“You need to rest,” Jensen says softly. “And ‘m gonna be here in case you need me.”  
  
“Jensen,” Jared sighs.  
  
“Please, Jay? Just rest, okay? We’ll talk and figure things out later.”  
  
“Fine, whatever,” Jared huffs, turning over on his side, facing away from Jensen. It’s not unusual, it’s how they usually sleep after all, but Jensen still feels shut out.  
  
Surprisingly enough, Jared falls asleep fairly quickly. He must be just that tired. But what isn’t surprising is when he wakes up just a few hours later, screaming and thrashing around, fighting invisible attackers in his nightmares. Jensen grabs his face, forcing unseeing, wild hazel eyes to lock onto his. “Hey,” he whispers. “’s me, love. Calm down. You’re okay. Just us here.”  
  
Jared finally focuses on him and the tension drains from his frame, his body slumping back into the mattress. “I hate this,” he mutters.  
  
“I know you do.” Jensen leans down and presses a soft kiss to Jared’s forehead before stretching out on the mattress next to him. He smiles when Jared turns his head enough to look over at him. “You’re gonna be fine,” Jensen assures.  
  
“How?” Jared asks around a frown. “Sure, those assholes are dead but what about the ones that’ll come next? ‘s never gonna end, Jensen. There’ll always be someone who’s gonna find out…” he trails off for a second, shaking his head. “Hell, my own crew has figured it out.”  
  
“No,” Jensen argues quietly. “Just Christian. And he and I talked about it. Hell, he helped me come get you.”  
  
Jared sighs and shakes his head. “The others will figure it out. Or he’ll tell them.”  
  
“No, he won’t. He… I really think he put it all together because’a the letter JD sent. The others don’t know about that. ‘sides, Chris has known you for years, Jay.” Jensen pauses, reaching out to push the hair back off Jared’s forehead. “He doesn’t care, baby. He just wanted the truth.”  
  
Jared frowns, his brow furrowed. “Really?” he asks skeptically.  
  
“Yeah, really,” Jensen says around a smile. “Like I said, we talked about it. He told me that you’re like a brother to him and he just wanted to know the truth.”  
  
“And you believe him?” Jared whispers, eyes huge and hopeful and trusting.  
  
“Yeah,” Jensen breathes. “I do. ‘cause he knows what I’ll do if he’s lying.” Jensen tentatively reaches out and pulls Jared closer, surprised but thrilled when Jared lets him. “He’s the one that found you tonight,” Jensen continues softly, his thumb brushing back and forth over Jared’s hipbone. “And he insisted on comin’ with me to help get you back.”  
  
“I don’t…” Jared huffs a sigh, shaking his head again. “You really think things’ll be okay? That we can just carry on, business as usual?”  
  
“Yeah, I do. Look,” Jensen sighs, “The guys already know that some’a Jeff’s men got away. It’s very easy to say that you and I disagreed on how to handle it and that you went out on your own to take care’a it but they got the jump on you. It can all be explained away. The only people who know the truth about you that are still breathing air is me and Kane. And we’d both follow you into hell and back.”  
  
Jared inhales shakily and smiles softly. Jensen’s heart skips a beat. “Thanks, Jen,” he whispers.  
  
“Just doin’ my job, sweetheart.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
“No,” Jared sighs, frowning. “You’ve always went above and beyond, Jensen…”  
  
“That’s ‘cause I love you and you mean the world to me.”  
  
Jared rolls his eyes but he can’t quite hide the smile that curls up his lips. “Fuckin’ sap,” he mutters.  
  
“Meh,” Jensen shrugs one shoulder, “’m okay with it. ‘s just me’n you here.”  
  
Jared sobers quickly and picks up the hand Jensen has across his stomach, absently playing with his mate’s fingers. “’m sorry I ran,” he says quietly after a few moments, watching his own touch, idly thinking how different they are, Jensen’s thick and blunt, his own long and slender, yet both just as deadly, “I just… It freaked me the fuck out that Chris had put it all together. I went into that bar lookin’ for a fight. I just didn’t know what I’d run into,” he pauses, inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly, “They had some female omega backed into a corner. She must’a been a waitress or somethin’, I don’t know. But anyway… They were sayin’ horrible things to her and she was so scared. I may be a cold-hearted bastard but I wasn’t about to let them hurt some innocent woman. I didn’t recognize them ‘til it was too late.” Jared slowly looks up at Jensen, shaking his head. “I tried, Jen,” he croaks out. “I fought, I swear…”  
  
“Shh, I know, Jare. Hell, you took out three outta four by yourself. That’s pretty fuckin’ amazing.”  
  
“I…I couldn’t stop him,” Jared admits, hating how weak he still feels.  
  
Jensen sits up, grabbing both of Jared’s wrists, his face a hard, thunderous mask. Jared kinda hates himself even more for the inappropriate, ill-timed, spike of arousal that shoots down his spine. “He had you cuffed and pinned on the ground by your fuckin’  _neck_ , Jared,” he growls. “No one could’a gotten outta that. Not Chris or Steve or even me.”  
  
“I hate feelin’ like this, Jen,” Jared says angrily. “I feel fuckin’ weak and pathetic…”  
  
“You’re not,” Jensen cuts in, his voice a low growl still. “You’re the strongest person I know, Jared.”  
  
Jared snorts and shakes his head. “Yeah, that’s why I bend over and beg you to make me a bitch.”  
  
“You willingly submitting to me makes you strong,” Jensen counters.  
  
“It’s biology, Jensen,” Jared grits out.  
  
“No, it’s not,” Jensen says softly, thumbs smoothing over Jared’s wrist bones. “You were twenty when we met, baby. You’d been goin’ through your heats and everything on your own for four years at that point…”  
  
“We were tied together within twenty minutes when we met,” Jared raises an eyebrow, shaking his head, “before you, I hadn’t wanted that.”  
  
“See? You want it, Jay. That doesn’t make you weak. You are by far the toughest, strongest son a bitch I know. What happens between us is because you  _let_  it happen. I couldn’t force you.”  
  
Jared sighs and flips their hands around, his fingers now wrapped around Jensen’s wrists. “I love you, Jen,” he says softly. “And sometimes that makes me feel weak. Bein’ an omega makes me feel weak.”  
  
“I promise you that you’re not.” Jensen leans down and presses a kiss to Jared’s lips. “Our love for each other makes us stronger, keeps us alive. You being an omega, being my mate, doesn’t make you any less my equal.”  
  
“You really think we’ll be okay?”  
  
“Told you already,” Jensen says, soft but firm, “We’re gonna be fine. Nothing changes.”  
  
Jared licks his lips and dips his head into a brief nod. “O-okay,” he whispers, his eyes sliding closed for a moment. He reopens them, focusing on Jensen. “Get naked and hold me?” he half-asks.  
  
“Yes, dear,” Jensen teases even as he’s stripping his shirt off. Jared bites down on his bottom lip when Jensen shimmies out of his tight boxer briefs, his mate’s pale, baby-smooth skin pressing against his own once Jensen lies back down. “Rest,” Jensen whispers, pressing a kiss to his temple.  
  
Jared snuggles back against Jensen’s chest and closes his eyes.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen wakes up to the sensation of warm, wet lips sucking their way down his chest. He groans, his eyes still closed, and blindly reaches out, tangling his fingers in Jared’s hair. Jared doesn’t stop, obviously on a mission. He nips at Jensen’s hip bone before nuzzling against his balls, his fingers curling around the already hard length of Jensen’s cock.  
  
“Fuck, baby,” he growls, finally forcing his eyes open. The room is bathed in soft, early morning light and he looks down the length of his body, warmth and love and lust shooting through his system at the sight of Jared hovering over his groin, his hazel eyes dark and lust-blown and intense, his cheeks already flushed a pretty shade of pink.  
  
Before Jensen can take another breath, Jared leans up enough to plunge the length of Jensen’s cock into his mouth, the head hitting the back of his throat, his wide, candy-pink lips stretched wide around Jensen’s shaft, almost touching the base. He swallows, the fluttering of his throat punching a grunt out of Jensen’s chest, his gaze never wavering from Jensen’s.  
  
Jared picks up a fast, dirty rhythm, sucking and licking like a man possessed. Suddenly, Jensen gets it. He just hopes like hell he’s wrong. But Jared’s almost frantic, wet and sloppy and quick. It feels amazing, but Jensen doesn’t want it to be because of what happened to him yesterday.  
  
Using the hold he has on Jared’s hair, Jensen tugs a little, silently urging his mate to let go. Jared pulls back, scowling, his dark eyes hard and glinting dangerously. “Jay,” Jensen breathes, reaching out one hand toward his mate.  
  
Jared shakes his head and pushes himself up and off the mattress. Jensen notices that he’s not even hard. Well, there goes the hope that this wasn’t some byproduct of Jared’s attack.  
  
Jared stalks across the room and rips open a dresser drawer, grabbing a pair of sweats. He doesn’t look at Jensen, but then, he doesn’t have to. Jensen’s spent ten years with him, he knows Jared, knows by the tense line of his shoulders that the omega is pissed off and more than likely, hurting.  
  
Jensen pushes himself up off the mattress and crosses the room, grabbing the sweats from Jared’s hands and tossing them on the floor. Jared spins around, snarling mad. “Don’t,” he growls. “You don’t wanna, that’s fine. But I’ll be damned if I have to do this naked.”  
  
Jensen frowns and takes a step forward, ignoring the warning growl, and wraps his arms around Jared’s lean waist. He rocks his hips forward, thrusting his still hard cock against Jared’s hip. “Feel like I don’t wanna?” he rasps.  
  
“Natural reaction to someone suckin’ your dick,” Jared counters. He’s struggling but it’s half-hearted at best – he could get away if he really wanted to.  
  
“Bullshit,” Jensen snaps. “That’s fuckin’ ridiculous and you know it.” He inhales deeply and pulls Jared against his chest completely. “I just… I don’t want this to be because of yesterday…”  
  
“Oh fuck you very much, Jensen,” Jared growls, pulling away for real this time. Jensen lets him go. “This has nothin’ to do with that. I woke up and you were there and I wanted to suck your cock. End of story.”  
  
“Not end of story,” Jensen grits out, gently grabbing Jared’s soft length pointedly, one eyebrow raised.  
  
Jared glares at him and pushes him away, stalking back across the room. “Look,” he sighs, his back to Jensen. “I… I don’t wanna go through this every time I wanna get fucked, okay?” He inhales deeply, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders. “’m not fuckin’ broken and I’d appreciate it if you of all fuckin’ people realize that.”  
  
“I never said you were!” Jensen yells.  
  
“Funny, you’re treatin’ me that way.”  
  
Jensen closes the distance between them, pressing his chest against Jared’s back, his cock nestling into the warm cleft of Jared’s ass. “If you really wanna suck me off or get fucked, that’s fine. But don’t do it to prove some Goddamn point.” He presses a kiss to Jared’s shoulder blade, his forehead resting against the nape of his neck. “You still have all the control, sweetheart,” he says softly. “That hasn’t changed. And you don’t need to prove it to me or yourself or anyone else.”  
  
Jared’s shoulders slump and his ridged frame relaxes. “That’s it,” Jensen damn-near purrs. His eyes flutter closed when he feels Jared start to get a little wet around his cock, can feel his rim twitching with the small pulses of his natural slick.  
  
Jared grabs the hand Jensen has pressed against his stomach and drags it down to his half-hard cock, the flesh stiffening even more under Jensen’s touch, jerking against his palm. “Jensen,” Jared breathes, tilting his head to the side, baring the long, beautiful line of his neck.  
  
Jensen nips at the sweat-salty skin, rocking his hips, dragging his blood-thick length through Jared’s slick. “Fuck, baby,” Jensen rasps, his fingers teasing through the pre-come oozing from the slit. He’s about to ask Jared if he’s sure but refrains, remembers Jared’s anger about being treated like he’s broken, knows that his mate doesn’t want to be treated any differently than he always has. “Want you,” he growls instead.  
  
Jared moans, rubbing his ass back against Jensen’s cock. “Me too, babe,” he breathes.  
  
Sometimes they have just plain old vanilla sex. It’s rare but it happens. Right now, that’s what Jensen wants more than anything. No matter how ridiculous and girly it sounds – even in his own head – he wants to stretch his beautiful mate out across their bed and worship every inch of him then make sweet, gentle love to him.  
  
He doesn’t say any of that though. Knows Jared would kick his ass for even thinking it.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared reaches back, briefly squeezing Jensen’s hip before moving to crawl up onto the mattress. “Wait, baby,” Jensen says softly, tightening his arms around Jared’s waist.  
  
“What?” Jared asks, nerves and emotions a jumbled mess inside his brain for the first time since he was sixteen and went into his first heat.  
  
He doesn’t want to admit that Jensen was partly right. He’d woken up to Jensen wrapped around him – same as every morning – his already hard cock riding the cleft of his ass and it freaked Jared right the fuck out. So he scrambled to try and take control back, rolling Jensen onto his back and taking the reins. It’s not like he’s never been the one to initiate things between them but Jensen was right about his motivation. He just doesn’t want to feel out of control or trapped, scared, especially not when it comes to Jensen. He’s stronger than this.  
  
Jensen gently turns him around, his emerald-green eyes huge and round, dark and lust-blown, the flush across his cheeks bringing out his cinnamon-colored freckles. He’s gorgeous and amazing and Jared loves him so much. All the worry and doubt and anger settle and – while he still hates being an omega – he’s happy that he’s got Jensen by his side and protecting his back.  
  
Jared smiles, feels his dimples digging into his cheeks, and the look of sheer love and relief that flitters through Jensen’s eyes is palpable. “What?” he asks again, softly, bringing one hand up, palm cupping Jensen’s cheek, his thumb rubbing over his bottom lip.  
  
“Not… Not like that,” Jensen whispers. “I wanna see you.”  
  
Jared shakes his head fondly. “Ya know, for an Alpha, you’re awfully fuckin’ sappy,” Jared teases.  
  
“Shuddup,” Jensen grumbles. “I just wanna see you okay? ‘s that so wrong?”  
  
Jared’s mouth twitches at the corners, a huge grin threatening to curl up his lips. “And why’s that?” he urges playfully.  
  
"’cause you’re fuckin’ gorgeous and I love watchin’ you when I knot that sweet ass,” Jensen drawls.  
  
Jared laughs and it feels so fucking good to have things back to normal. He knows that that’s not the reason – or at least not the  _whole_  reason – but he’s not going to call Jensen out on it. Truthfully, if he wants to be honest, he really wants to see Jensen as well.  
  
Jensen growls – mock-stern – and tries to frown but he can’t pull it off completely. “You gonna shut up and lemme fuck you or what?”  
  
Jared laughs again and presses a kiss on the tip of Jensen’s freckled nose, snorting when Jensen wrinkles his nose and shoots Jared a half-hearted scowl. Jared dips down and presses a kiss to Jensen’s lips this time, immediately shoving his tongue into his mate’s mouth, kissing him slow and thorough. Jensen grabs his hair with both hands, giving as good as he gets and by the time they pull away, they’re both panting.  
  
“Enough talk,” Jared rasps, forcing himself to pull away from Jensen. He sits down on the edge of the bed and stares up at his beautiful mate, keeping his attention while he scoots backward, his legs flopping open once his head hits the pillows. He licks his lips, watching as Jensen knee-walks his way up the mattress, between his legs, his hands sliding up the outside of Jared’s thighs.  
  
“You are so beautiful,” Jensen says softly, tone already getting a little rough and gravelly and Jared’s stomach flutters. “Love you. So fuckin’ much.”  
  
“Love you, too,” Jared rasps, sitting up enough to reach out to Jensen, his weight resting on one elbow. “C’mon, babe. Take it. Wanna feel you.”  
  
Jensen presses a kiss to his chest, right over his heart and the tattoo that matches Jensen’s before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “Patience, love,” he scolds lightly. “’mma get to that. But I got a few other things in mind first.”  
  
Jared groans and drops back against the mattress. He hadn’t really thought that Jensen was in the mood to play but apparently he was wrong. Jensen chuckles, his lips pressed to Jared’s collar bone and the vibration shoots through his whole body. He moves down Jared’s chest, lips and tongue seeming to hit every inch of his skin. By the time Jensen gets to his stomach, Jared’s hard as a rock, his blood-thick length aching. “Jensen,” he gasps. “Please.”  
  
“Shh, I got’cha, sweetheart,” Jensen whispers, the words smeared against the sensitive skin stretched across his hipbone.  
  
Jensen completely bypasses his leaking, aching cock and sucks his balls into his mouth, first one then the other, his tongue laving over the thin, sensitive skin behind. Jared chokes on a broken moan of Jensen’s name, his legs flopping open even wider. While he was expecting it, the first swipe of Jensen’s tongue over his slick entrance almost makes him scream. Jensen moans, pressing his face between Jared’s cheeks as far as he can get, and once again the vibration shoots through him, lightning bolts of pleasure zinging up and down his spine. He fucking  _loves_  when Jensen does this, not only the sensations – which are pretty freaking awesome – but also the way Jensen presses in as far as he can, moaning like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted and he can’t get enough of it.  
  
He loses track of how long Jensen’s down there, two thick fingers thrusting in and out alongside his tongue but he’s more than ready. He’s been ready since the moment his back hit the mattress. “Jensen,” he rasps. “Fuck… ‘m ready, babe. Please… Oh fuck, please.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen has always loved the sounds that Jared makes when they’re tangled up together; the sighs and the moans and the breathy little whimpers, but his favorite thing by far is hearing Jared beg for him. It’s heady and powerful, reducing this strong, ruthless man to a begging, pleading, incoherent pile of oversensitive mush. And the fact that he’s still doing it today is amazing; after what happened yesterday he wondered if he’d ever hear Jared beg for him again.  
  
Jensen forces himself to pull away, his gaze sweeping up the long, muscular line of Jared’s body. Jared looks like a walking wet-dream – skin flushed and covered with a thin sheen of sweat, his lips wet and parted and bitten-red, his eyes dark and full of love and need – and Jensen doesn’t honestly think he can wait any longer himself.  
  
He leans over Jared, a surprised noise falling from his lips when Jared leans up enough to grab the back of his neck, licking over his lips and chin where he’s practically dripping with Jared’s natural slick. A moan reverberates between them and Jensen’s honestly not sure who it comes from but when Jared shoves his tongue inside his mouth, tangling with his own, Jensen really can’t bring himself to give a fuck.  
  
Jared’s panting harshly when he pulls away from the kiss, his massive chest heaving. He shoots Jensen a smug grin when Jensen raises one eyebrow. “What? You know I love the taste of myself on your tongue.”  
  
Jensen moans, his cock twitching. It’s so deliciously filthy but it’s also Jared –  _his_  Jared – and for a while last night, Jensen wasn’t sure he’d ever get that back. He smirks, dipping down to tease at Jared’s lips again with the tip of his tongue. “I do,” he agrees.  
  
Jared shifts beneath him, his long legs wrapping around Jensen’s hips, one heel pressing into Jensen’s ass. “C’mon,” he breathes. “I… Fuck, I need you, Jen.”  
  
And that right there breaks all of Jensen’s reserves. It always has and Jared knows it.  
  
Reaching blindly between them, Jensen lines himself up, his jaw clenching when just the head of his cock breaches the tight, silky warmth of Jared’s entrance. Jared opens up easily around him, so wet and ready, and Jensen bites down on the inside of his cheek, hoping to distract himself from the exquisite heat and overwhelming pleasure.  
  
“Fuck,” he groans. “Feels so good, Jay.”  
  
Jared arches his back, his short fingernails clawing down Jensen’s back. “Jensen,” he moans, soft and breathy and the sound goes right to Jensen’s cock. There’s no way he’s going to last long, can already feel his knot starting to swell.  
  
He shoves one hand between their stomachs, wrapping his fingers around Jared’s hot, hard flesh. Jared’s eyes widen for a moment before slamming closed, throwing his head back on another moan. “Shit… Fuck, baby. Not gonna last,” Jensen grits out, his hips already starting to slow down, mostly just grinding against Jared.  
  
“’s okay,” Jared breathes. “Me too. God, just do it, babe.”  
  
Jensen pulls out and slams forward one last time, his knot rapidly swelling completely and tying them together. Jared cries out, his nails digging in hard enough that they break the skin, as he erupts between them, his release hot and sticky and smearing across his stomach and Jensen’s fist.  
  
Sweat stings the scratches on Jensen’s back but it just ups the pleasure, the first wave of his orgasm hitting him hard, his eyes squeezed closed as he moans Jared’s name. Even though it’s not the most comfortable position to be tied in – especially for Jared – Jensen’s glad that he’s able to see Jared’s face, the pleasure twisting those familiar, gorgeous features.  
  
Jensen keeps as much weight on his knees and forearms as he can, well aware that Jared’s still sore from yesterday, can see the reddish-purple bruises along his ribs. They both sigh softly when he’s able to pull away and Jared’s eyes flutter open, watching him silently as he flops over onto his side of the bed. He immediately pulls Jared into his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his sweat-damp hair.  
  
Jared snuggles closer, his face pressing against Jensen’s neck. “Thanks,” Jared says softly, simply.  
  
“For?”  
  
“Everything,” Jared sighs, pulling back enough to look up at Jensen, “But mostly for not lettin’ me go completely off the rails and for talkin’ me down.” He pauses, smiling brightly. “And makin’ me realize that things are gonna be okay.”  
  
“’s no problem, love,” Jensen replies around a grin, dipping down to press a kiss to Jared’s lips.  
  
“So how ‘bout we take a nap and then meet with the guys, plan our next adventure?” Jared teases.  
  
Jensen wraps his arms around Jared completely, pulling him as close as physically possible. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. We’re gonna take over the world, baby.” Jared laughs, bright and beautiful, his eyes glinting with a hint of danger and mischief. Jensen really wouldn’t ever want it any other way.

 


	3. Even The Wrong Words Seem to Rhyme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Jared meets Jensen doesn't go the way Jared planned - _at all_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written on 7/27/13 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.
> 
> This is just a short, mostly porny prequel.

**Chapter Warnings:**  RPS, AU, A/B/O, omega!Jared, Alpha!Jensen, pretend Alpha!Jared, bottom!Jared, first time, knotting, male self-lubrication, mentions of heat, rough sex, violence, blood and gore (light), badass!boys, dirty talk.  
  
  
  
  
Jared ran away from home when he turned fourteen.  
  
He had always been small for his age – short and scrawny, arms and legs too long for his body – but when he didn’t pop a knot at puberty like his older brother – which meant that he was going to either be a beta, or worse yet, an omega – his dad hadn’t taken it so well. He never was a kind man and when it turned out that his second son wasn’t the Alpha he was ‘supposed’ to be, he beat the shit out of Jared. His mom was too drunk and afraid to intervene, so Jared waited until they both passed out and left.  
  
And never looked back.  
  
He spent a week on the streets, trying to stay out of trouble but attracting it anyway, sleeping in alleys or the park or wherever he could. He begged and panhandled and stole and was pretty sure he wouldn’t make it another week.  
  
That’s when he met Christian Kane.  
  
He was older – eighteen – and an Alpha with a chip on his shoulder and an attitude the size of Texas. Jared had begged him for money, nine days after he’d left home, dirty and starving. Chris raised an eyebrow and asked him how long it’d been since he’d eaten – three days – and took Jared to a local diner and bought him dinner.  
  
Lonely and scared, Jared told Chris the whole story and Chris offered him a place to stay and a job. Turned out, the place to stay was Jeff Morgan’s mansion and the job was running drugs or whatever else JD or Chris needed from him.  
  
Jared fell into the life of a two-bit, full-time thug easily and quickly moved up in ranks within JD’s crew. By sixteen, Jared had hit a growth spurt that left him edging six foot with broad shoulders and a brand new attitude to go with. Most of the guys just assumed Jared was a late-bloomer, an Alpha like them, and Jared let them believe. Other than the night his dad nearly killed him, he’d never felt like anything less than an Alpha to begin with.  
  
When he turned sixteen and got his first heat – confirming his worst fear that he was, in fact, an omega – he locked himself in the basement of one of JD’s abandoned buildings for a week and suffered through it alone and terrified. Once the week was over, he went three towns over and bought some illegal suppressants and Alpha pheromones from a more-than-questionable doctor and the rest was history.  
  
On the outside, Jared became the embodiment of an Alpha – tall and broad and strong – and he made one hell of a name for himself in JD’s crew in a short time. By the time he turned eighteen, JD had brought in some new muscle that – even with Jared’s questionable morals and ruthlessness – he thought took things too far. So he broke out on his own.  
  
To his surprise, Christian followed him.  
  
"Can’t let you go out on your own and get yourself killed, runt," he'd smirked.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Within two years, Jared built his own – albeit small – crew and was giving JD a run for his money. More than half the city was Jared’s and he was on top of the fucking  _world_.  
  
Until he meets Jensen fucking Ackles and his world turns upside down.  
  
Chris told him that there was someone working freelance in one of their parts of town and Jared sets out to see who it was that dared try to take over something that was  _his_.  
  
At first glance, he looks too damn pretty to be an Alpha – long eyelashes that swept over big, round, emerald-green eyes and plump, pink lips and a smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose and across his high cheekbones. The rugged jaw, stubble and mostly-straight nose take away from the more feminine aspects of his face but not enough to make him any less pretty.  
  
Jared watches from the shadows as the Alpha drops a man almost twice his size and a good four or five inches taller, watches as he toys with him, laughing as the guy pleads for his life while he stabs and slices. The Alpha lets the guy bleed out, snarling and taunting even as the other man takes his last breath.  
  
He is cold and ruthless and brilliant and fucking  _beautiful_. And for the first time in his  _life_ , Jared wants.  
  
He emerges from his hiding place, not bothering to try and conceal himself, his favorite knife clutched in one hand. The Alpha looks up, blood mixing with the freckles on his cheeks, his eyes narrowing. Jared raises an eyebrow and looks down at the man on the ground – realizing too late that it is one of JD’s goons – then looks back up at the other man.  
  
"You’re fuckin’ around in my backyard, man," Jared says, proud of himself for remaining cool and calm despite how hard his fucking heart is pounding, how his hole is fluttering and leaking so badly if he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was in heat.  
  
"Ah, Jared Padalecki," the Alpha half-asks. "Been tryin’ to get your attention."  
  
"Well, you’ve got it," Jared answers. "Not a smart move, ya know?"  
  
He smirks, mischief and merriment in his knowing gaze. "And just why’s that?"  
  
"’cause, like I said, you’re fuckin’ around with my area. ‘m not exactly the sharin’ type." Cocking his head to the side, Jared studies the Alpha for a moment before saying, "You seem to have the advantage, knowin’ who I am and all."  
  
"Name’s Jensen," comes the reply, smooth and easy, tone whiskey-rough and it makes Jared tremble.  
  
Jared always hated his biology, hated that he was cursed to be an omega. And the affect this Alpha has on him is making him even angrier.  
  
With a snarl, Jared charges forward. It happens in a flash; Jensen dodging easily out of the way, hooking a leg behind Jared’s knees and landing him flat on his back, his teeth at Jared’s neck in the span of a few heartbeats. Jared closes his eyes, whimpering, as his whole body goes pliant beneath the Alpha –  _his_  Alpha Jared's inner omega screams.  
  
"That’s it, sweetheart," Jensen purrs, nipping lightly at Jared’s pounding pulse. "You can fight me all you want, but you won’t win," Jensen adds, his breath warm and moist against Jared’s ear and Jared’s cock twitches against his zipper.  
  
"Get off’a me," Jared growls, struggling beneath Jensen’s weight. Jared’s a big fucking guy – six four and just over two hundred pounds – but Jensen holds him down like he weighs nothing. It’s infuriating. And incredibly intoxicating.  
  
"Shh," Jensen coos, nuzzling behind Jared’s ear. "I know what you are, sweet omega."  
  
Jared’s whole body tenses, blood boiling in his veins. "You don’t know shit," he grits out.  
  
Jensen chuckles – warm and fond – and the sound wraps around Jared like an embrace and God, he fucking _hates_  himself for it. But he hates Jensen even more. "Yes, I do," Jensen drawls. "Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your dirty little secret’s safe with me."  
  
"What’d’ya want?"  
  
"Thought that’d be simple to figure out," Jared can  _hear_  the smirk in Jensen’s tone, "I want you."  
  
"Fuck you," Jared spits out.  
  
"Oh, no, baby. You got that backwards," Jensen rocks hips down, his trapped cock rubbing against Jared’s sending a fresh shiver of arousal through Jared’s system, "But we’ll get to that in a second. I want in."  
  
"What?" Jared blurts out, trying to move his head enough to see Jensen’s face, but the Alpha keeps pressing biting kisses to his thundering pulse and the sensitive skin beneath his ear. It’s extremely fucking distracting.  
  
"I want in," Jensen repeats, finally pulling back enough to look down at Jared. His breath catches in his chest, his lips parting without his consent. This close, Jensen is beyond fucking gorgeous. From far away, he’s breathtaking but up close like this Jared can see the gold flecks in his intense bottle-green eyes, the thick fringe of dark lashes, and the smattering of cinnamon-colored freckles that Jared wants to lick so that he can see if they taste any different from the rest of Jensen’s skin. "You need me, Jared."  
  
"I don’t need you," Jared scoffs, glaring as best as he can at the Adonis above him.  
  
"The crew you got is good but they can’t keep you safe, not like I can."  
  
"And why do you care?"  
  
"I told you, sweetheart, I want you," Jensen shifts enough to bring one hand up, his fingers twisting into a fist in Jared’s hair, "Been watchin’ you for a while now," Jensen purrs, craning Jared’s head back and nuzzling under his chin, "You’re good. Fuckin’ brilliant really. But you can be so much better with me by your side."  
  
"And in trade, you want me to let you fuck me?"  
  
"Baby, you’ll be beggin’ me to fuck you," Jensen promises, his voice dripping sex, running down Jared’s spine like warm honey.  
  
"’m not a bitch," Jared argues.  
  
"No, believe me, I know you’re not," Jensen agrees, still smirking. Jensen leans down, his lips hovering over Jared’s ear. "I can smell you," he whispers, nipping at Jared’s ear lobe. "That sweet spun-sugar scent of your arousal, even through that fake Alpha shit you’re wearing. You want me too, sweetheart."  
  
Jared inhales deeply, catching a whiff of Jensen’s arousal – thick and musky, spicy and woodsy – and it makes his head spin. His head drops to the side, baring this throat, his eyes sliding closed. He may hate himself – and Jensen – for this, but Jensen’s right.  
  
Jensen growls and bites down on the crook of Jared’s neck, not hard enough to break the skin thankfully – he’d have a hard time explaining a mating scar to his men – but hard enough to feel and to establish his dominance. His hands grab Jared’s shirt at the collar, ripping it off, and Jared gasps, his thighs falling open without direct consent from his brain.  
  
"Alpha," he breathes, rolling his hips up against Jensen’s.  
  
Jensen’s eyes darken – lust-blown and predatory, nearly feral – and he rips his own shirt off, blanketing Jared again from shoulders to ankles, their bare, sweat-slick chests pressing together. "You’re mine," Jensen whispers darkly before sweeping down and claiming Jared’s lips in a bruising, brutal kiss.  
  
"Yes," Jared whispers into the kiss. "Yours." Jared’s whole body vibrates with want; his cock hard and aching, his hole wet and clenching. He tentatively wraps his arms around Jensen’s broad shoulders, his fingers sliding over the freckles dotted over pale flesh. Jensen hums in approval, the kiss turning sloppy and wet, deep and passionate. Jared’s lungs ache, his heart pounding so hard against his ribs there’s no way Jensen can’t feel it but he just holds on tighter, letting Jensen have whatever in the hell he wants, no longer able to deny the want and need burning bright through his whole body.  
  
Jensen pulls away with a gasp, plump lips spit-slick and kiss-bruised, and he rolls his hips down, moaning deeply as his cock rubs against Jared’s. He pulls back enough to get a hand between them, his intense gaze searching Jared’s as his fingers brush over the button of Jared’s jeans.  
  
Jared realizes that Jensen’s looking for consent. It doesn’t make him feel any better about needing this – wanting it so bad he can fucking  _taste_  it – but it makes it easier to deal with. He’s known Jensen for a handful of minutes but he trusts that if he says no right now that Jensen will back off. It's a frightening fucking revelation and Jared's not actually sure what to do with it.  
  
Jared nods – a barely-there jerk of his chin – but it’s enough for Jensen.  
  
He loses track of time for a few moments, everything a blur of clothes and skin and unfamiliar hands, and before he knows it, he’s naked, Jensen hovering over him on his hands and knees, bare and broad and fucking _beautiful_.  
  
Jensen trails a line of biting, fiery kisses down his neck and across his shoulder, down to his chest and abs and Jared writhes beneath the feeling, his back arching as he tries to get closer to that wickedly talented tongue and those sinfully delicious lips. He’s so focused on what Jensen’s doing above the waist that when he feels two thick fingers nudging against his rim, he jerks, his eyes flying open to lock with Jensen’s.  
  
"Shh," Jensen soothes. "’s okay." He swirls his fingers through the slick oozing from Jared’s entrance, the gun-calloused pads making him shiver. "How’ve you been dealin’ with your heats?"  
  
"By m’self," Jared admits quietly, too far gone to even think about not answering. "Fingers and toys."  
  
And even though Jared’s pretty sure Jensen already knows – it’s extremely rare for omegas to take more than one mate – he still asks, "You’ve never done this?"  
  
"No," Jared whispers, feeling his cheeks heating up.  
  
Jensen’s eyes soften – just slightly – and his grip on Jared’s thigh loosens. But Jared doesn’t want sweet and gentle. If he’s going to do this, he wants Jensen the way he’s been, passionate and possessive, bordering pleasantly on brutal. Jared snarls and leans up, nipping at Jensen’s bottom lip. Jensen growls in response, his hand letting go of Jared’s thigh, once again grabbing a handful of Jared’s hair. Jared tugs against the hold, moaning, his eyes fluttering at the tiny pinpricks of pleasured pain along his scalp.  
  
Jensen quirks an eyebrow, that damn smirk still firmly in place and Jared’s blush creeps down to his chest. He’s of course never done  _any_  of this before – no matter how many willing and eager women Chris paraded in front of him – and he can’t explain how he knows what he wants, just knows that he wants Jensen to bite and grab and mark him up, knows that he wants to  _feel_  it. Tonight, tomorrow, next fucking  _week_.  
  
Jared cries out when Jensen presses those two fingers inside him, not stopping until they’re buried to the knuckle, his fingernails scraping down Jensen’s back, the coopery smell of fresh blood making them both moan and Jensen pushes back against Jared’s fingers. "Fuck," Jensen groans. "You’re so fuckin’ wet, baby. So tight. Gonna feel fuckin’ amazin’ around my cock." He twists his fingers inside Jared, spreading them wide, tips brushing his sweet spot and Jared whines, thrusting down against them as best as he can. "When I get you back home and into a bed, ‘mma lay you out and taste every fuckin’ inch’a you," Jensen purrs, the promise in the tone and his words leaving Jared breathless. "Gonna get my tongue up inside you, lick you ‘til you come just from that. Then get you hard and do it again."  
  
"Jensen," Jared gasps, his cock twitching painfully, fresh slick pulsing out around Jensen’s fingers.  
  
Jensen chuckles and brushes a kiss against Jared’s lips. "Like the sound’a that, sweetheart?" he drawls. Jared can’t find his voice to respond, doesn’t even know what he’d say if he  _could_ , so he merely nods, his fingers digging into Jensen’s biceps hard enough to bruise. "Then ‘mma pull you into my lap and have you ride me," he continues, his lips moving over Jared’s, down his jaw, the words smeared wetly into his feverish skin. "Fuck, baby. Got so many things I wanna do to you."  
  
Jared’s breath punches out of him when Jensen presses forward with a third finger and bites down on Jared’s collar bone at the same time. He’s done, can’t wait any-fucking-more. "Please," he blurts out. "Oh God… Please, Jensen…"  
  
"Please what, sweetheart?"  
  
"Fuck me," Jared half-begs, half-commands.  
  
"Impatient," Jensen growls, even as he pulls his fingers out of Jared. He whimpers, instantly hating that empty feeling after being so perfectly stuffed full. "Shh," Jensen coos. "Flip over for me."  
  
Jared scrambles to obey, settling on his hands and knees, not even noticing the hard, bare concrete floor beneath him. Jensen drapes himself along Jared’s back, his thick, hard cock teasing through the slick cleft of Jared’s ass. "’s this what you want?" Jensen teases, nipping at the back of Jared’s neck.  
  
"Please," Jared whispers again, his head hanging down between his shoulders. Part of him hates this – hates _himself_  for it – but his inner omega that he buries deep,  _deep_  inside, is begging, pleading for Jensen’s touch, for his  _mate’s_ touch.  
  
Jared screams when Jensen slams his hips forward, burying his cock to the hilt in one perfect, almost-brutal thrust. Even during his heats, he’s never had anything as big as Jensen – so warm and hard and  _alive_  – and it just makes him want it more.  
  
Jensen doesn’t pause, drawing his hips back and slamming forward again, instantly picking up a quick, dirty rhythm. Jared’s arms give out, his elbows hitting the concrete hard enough to hurt but it somehow adds to the amazing sensation of Jensen’s cock splitting him open.  
  
Jensen’s grip on his hips is tight, bruising, and Jared can’t wait to press his fingers against the marks, to feel the blood-warm skin beneath his own touch, to feel the ache and remember. He grunts when Jensen spreads out over his back, his lips ghosting over Jared’s ear, his warm breath making Jared shiver when he whispers, "Gonna put my mark right  _here_ ," he digs his fingers into the hollow of Jared’s left hipbone, "Know we can’t put in on your neck. But I like that me and you’ll be the only ones to ever see it." Jared groans, fresh slick oozing out around Jensen’s cock. "Like the sound’a that, baby? Want me to bite you? Mark you up? Make you mine?"  
  
"Fuck," Jared gasps, turning his head enough to bite at those sinful fucking lips. "Yes," he hisses. "Mark me, Alpha."  
  
"Oh, ‘m gonna," Jensen promises, snapping his hips harder, his cock nailing Jared’s sweet spot with deadly accuracy. "Soon as we’re done here and I get you back home, into our bed."  
  
Jared dimly registers through the overwhelming, all-consuming lust and pleasure clouding his mind that he likes the sound of that, wants to have Jensen in his house, in his bed, at his side. Hopefully for the rest of their lives. The thought fucking  _terrifies_ him.  
  
Jensen slows down, his hips just mainly grinding against Jared’s ass and Jared snarls, trying to buck his hips back. Jensen merely tightens his hold, growling low in his throat. "Easy," he snaps, commanding, and Jared’s whole body trembles. "Gonna knot you, sweetheart. Can you feel it?"  
  
Jared focuses as best as he can, vaguely feels Jensen’s knot tugging against his rim, getting bigger and harder, more difficult to pull out and thrust back in. Jared’s cock twitches, pre-come leaking from the tip. "Please… Need’ta come… so close," he pants.  
  
Jensen slides his hand around Jared, thick fingers curling around his cock. "’mma teach you to come on just my cock, just from me fuckin’ you," he drawls, biting at Jared’s jaw hard enough to break the skin. Jared moans, his eyes slamming closed, his orgasm  _right fucking there_. "Come," Jensen commands.  
  
Jared screams, every muscle clenching tight, as his release rips through him almost violently. He vaguely hears Jensen muttering praise and encouragements, barely notices Jensen’s knot catching and tying them together, can’t focus on much of anything but the pulsing of his cock as he spills over Jensen’s fist and the dirty floor beneath them and the overwhelming pleasure coursing through his veins.  
  
Jensen gently tips them on their sides, his chest pressed tight against Jared’s back, completely wrapped around him. Jared stares across the empty warehouse, his vision still a little hazy, his heart still pounding against his ribs, Jensen’s cock jerking and his knot pulsing as the first wave of his climax fills Jared up.  
  
Now that it’s over, reality sets in. He’s barely known Jensen for twenty minutes. Actually, he doesn’t even  _know_ Jensen at all. Just knows that he’s apparently his mate now and has somehow wormed his way into Jared’s organization. He tenses, the need to get away absolute but he can’t go anywhere. He’s fucking tied to an Alpha that he doesn’t know, has no reason to trust – other than his stupid biology screaming at him that this is his mate – and could potential ruin everything. Or kill Jared and no one would be the wiser.  
  
Jared would rather take death than everyone finding out that he’s a bitch.  
  
Jensen sighs, his lips pressed softly against the back of Jared’s neck. "Don’t fuckin’ touch me," Jared growls.  
  
Jensen – fucking bastard that he is – merely chuckles. "Kinda hard not to touch ya, sweetheart," he drawls, all lazy twang, hot and slow like a warm Texas summer afternoon. "Considerin’ my knot’s still buried deep inside you."  
  
"Doesn’t mean that you have to touch me anywhere else," Jared snarks back, well aware that he sounds fucking ridiculous.  
  
Jensen chuckles again, nosing through the sweat-damp hair at the nape of Jared’s neck. "Wanna tell me what’s wrong?" he asks soothingly. Jared hates him even more.  
  
"What  _isn’t_  wrong?" Jared snaps. "I don’t know you but apparently you know who I am,  _what_  I am. You’re pullin’ jobs in  _my_ city to get my attention but instead’a killin’ you like I’d do  _anyone_  else, I end up on my knees, beggin’ to be fucked. You could  _destroy_  me, Jensen."  
  
"Why the hell would I do that?" Jensen asks sharply, what sounds kind of like hurt in his tone.  
  
"Why  _wouldn’t_ you?" Jared counters. "I would."  
  
"I know that," Jensen agrees softly. "Believe me, I know." He pauses, inhaling deeply. "Yeah, okay, I do know you. Or well, sorta know you. I’ve been watchin’ you since your second year with JD," he leans closer, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin behind Jared’s ear, "Since your first heat," he whispers. "I watched you kill, watched you rip apart Alpha’s twice your age and size without breakin’ a sweat. I watched you make a name for yourself, all the while, waiting."  
  
"Why… Why now? Why’d you wait?"  
  
"I had to let you get away from Morgan and build up your own empire," Jensen pauses, his hand sliding up Jared’s chest, stopping to press against his heart. "Didn’t you sense someone watchin’ you?" he asks softly, darkly.  
  
Jared’s eyes slide closed and he leans back against the strong, firm muscles of Jensen’s chest. "Always thought I was paranoid," he chokes out, half-laugh, half-sob. "Or that I was fuckin’ crazy."  
  
Jensen presses another kiss to the back of Jared’s neck, rocking his hips forward, his knot rubbing against Jared’s over-sensitive prostate. Jared groans, pressing back into the feeling, his spent length twitching between his legs. "We’ll be great together, baby," Jensen promises. "You’ll see."  
  
Jared closes his eyes and lets himself get lost in the feeling of Jensen slowly, barely moving inside him again, coaxing his cock hard once more and wringing another mind-blowing orgasm out of him. Once they’re done, they redress in silence and Jared takes Jensen back to the mansion, introducing him to his crew as his new right-hand man. He sets Jensen up in a room on the second floor and calls in a friend of a friend of a friend to build a secret staircase straight up into his room from the closet in Jensen’s room. Jensen laughs, his eyes sparkling with danger and mischief when Jared drags the carpenter to the backyard and slits his throat. "Never can be too safe," Jared explains with a shrug, laughing himself when Jensen chases him up the new set of stairs and tackles him onto their bed.  
  
Jared may still hate his biology and he'll gut anyone that thinks that he's nothing more than some knot-slut omega whore but as Jensen bites down on the sensitive skin next to his left hipbone, breaking the skin and making his mark, he thinks that it's not such a bad thing if he gets Jensen out of the deal.


	4. Tangled Up In You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen’s been with Jared a year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written on 8/15/13 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.
> 
> This is just another prequel. I briefly mentioned their matching tattoos in the other fics, this is how they happened. This is mostly just smut, jealous Jared and tattoo kink.

**Chapter Warnings:**  RPS, AU, A/B/O, omega!Jared, Alpha!Jensen, pretend Alpha!Jared, bottom!Jared, established relationship, knotting, male self-lubrication, rough sex, violence, blood and gore (light), badass!boys, rimming, frottage, tattoo kink, fingering, pain kink, explicit sex, dirty talk, bloodplay (light), comeplay (light), brief mention of D/s, coming untouched, biting, jealous Jared, possessive Jared.  
  


  
  
Jensen raises one eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing Jared. His mate has been twitchy all day, barking at the guys for no real reason, talking back to Jensen – more than usual – and just plain acting  _weird_.  
  
It’s been an interesting year in the Padalecki mansion. The guys were reluctant to accept him at first, even with Jared’s quick, deadly temper they questioned him, wondering where in the hell Jensen came from, why he was suddenly so high up the food chain, etc. Jared – ruthless, beautiful bastard that he is – merely narrowed those tip-tilted champagne-hazel eyes and told them all if they had a problem with it, they knew where the door was.  
  
Like his hot-headed omega would let any of them just  _leave_.  
  
Eventually, things settled down and they all began to accept Jensen – even Christian, who Jensen kind of unwittingly thrust from his position as Jared’s right hand. Even though he liked the other Alpha and he was loyal to Jared, there’s no one on the planet that would be more loyal to Jared than Jensen.  
  
Settling into his  _other_  role in Jared’s life was laughingly easy. Once Jared calmed the fuck down and realized that it wasn’t the end of the world – and that Jensen wasn’t going to destroy him and everything he worked for – they fell into their relationship with an ease that Jensen honestly hadn’t expected.  
  
Jared is the perfect mate – sweet, submissive omega who trembles at his touch and goes to his knees only for him – and Jensen can honestly say that he loves Jared more than he’s ever loved anyone or anything and he’d follow the man into hell and back. And he knows that Jared loves him – his sweet, beautiful mate not afraid to shout it at the top of his lungs when Jensen’s pounding into his perfect, tight ass, and not afraid to whisper it every night before they fall asleep, sticky, sweaty and sated.  
  
All of which makes Jared’s abnormal – or well, more abnormal than usual – behavior that much more puzzling.  
  
After the third time Jared yelled at one of the maids – making the poor female beta cry – and stormed off upstairs, Jensen had had just about enough. He sent the guys out, as well as the staff, making sure the house was completely empty. He knows that he and Jared are going to have it out and, sound-proofed room or not, it’s going to get loud.  
  
He stalks upstairs, his temper already boiling even though he swore to himself that he’d let Jared explain first but he just can’t help it. His emotions get the best of him when it comes to Jared –  _only_ when it comes to Jared – and he’s concerned more than anything. Jared’s avoiding him like the plague, has been all day, and it’s troubling. Jared  _never_  avoids him.  
  
Jensen finds Jared in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of their bed, staring at the far wall. There’s a lost, almost boyish look on his face and for the first time  _ever_ , Jared actually looks like the twenty-one-year-old kid he is.  
  
“Surprised it took you this long,” Jared mutters, flicking a brief glance at Jensen then looking away, his broad shoulders slumped, almost like he’s trying to curl his large frame in on himself.  
  
“What’s up with you?” Jensen asks, struggling to keep his tone even. If he comes at Jared the wrong way, it’ll just end up in a fight – then a fuck – and they won’t get a damn thing accomplished. Still might happen that way, but Jensen has to try.  
  
Jared shrugs one shoulder and huffs a sigh. “Nothin’,” he murmurs. “Just… bad fuckin’ day.”  
  
Jensen crosses the room, curling his hand into a fist in Jared’s hair, forcing his mate’s head up. He’s tired of not seeing Jared’s eyes. Jared can’t lie to him if he can see his eyes. “Wanna try that again?” Jensen grits out, one eyebrow raised. “And try  _not_ lying through your ass this time.”  
  
Jared snarls and tries to pull away – only managing to pull his own hair. He hisses, his eyes narrowing on Jensen. “Lemme alone,” he snaps. “I don’t have’ta answer to you.”  
  
Jensen loves Jared. With all his fucking heart and soul. But sometimes he can be a brat.  
  
Sometimes he’s still the kid he never really got to be.  
  
Jensen raises both eyebrows and snorts out a huff of laughter. He reaches over to the table next to Jared’s side of the bed and grabs the buttery-soft, black leather collar, holding it up in front of Jared’s face. “Just ‘cause you’re not wearin’ it at the moment, doesn’t take away from its meaning,” Jensen says pointedly.  
  
While Jared took to being Jensen’s mate – his omega – pretty easily, this part of their relationship took a little more time to work out. Jared’s naturally submissive and actually loves being dominated but he doesn’t think he  _should_ , so he fought it, tooth and nail. Jensen loves it, loves that his sub is fiery and stubborn and makes him work for it. The last fucking thing he wants is some simpering bitch that’ll just roll over and take it. Jared’s fire and passion and independence are what Jensen loves most about him.  
  
Jared stubbornly clenches his jaw and raises his chin, defiance in those fiery hazel depths.  
  
So much for keeping this civil.  
  
Jensen sighs and shakes his head. “You’re gonna tell me one way or another, sweetheart,” he tries, one last time. “You really wanna have this out when the outcome is gonna be the same, no matter what?”  
  
“God,” Jared huffs, still trying to get away from the hold Jensen has on the back of his head. “’s nothin’, Jensen. Damnit! Can’t I just have a bad fuckin’ day?!”  
  
“’course you can,” Jensen nods. “But that doesn’t give you the right to act like you’ve been acting.”  
  
Jared’s eyes narrow even more, the clear hazel depths sparkling and glinting in the low light in the bedroom, his top lip pulled back in a snarl. He looks as deadly as he is and he’s fucking gorgeous. If Jensen was a lesser man, he’d be terrified of Jared. But as it is, he finds it incredibly sexy – his own lust and anger burning bright in response to Jared’s.  
  
“Just leave me the fuck alone,” Jared grits out, his jaw clenched, his whole body trembling with barely-restrained anger.  
  
“Nope,” Jensen sighs, shaking his head. “You’re going to tell me. And it better be fuckin’ soon.”  
  
“Fuck you very much, Jensen,” Jared snaps back, yanking his head away from Jensen’s hand. He stands up, straightening himself fully to his impressive height. His broad shoulders are back and he’s doing his best to intimidate Jensen with his size. It doesn’t work.  
  
Jensen just huffs another sigh and shakes his head. Just as he knew he would, Jared charges at him, dropping his shoulder, trying to hit Jensen in the stomach. His mate is good, but Jensen’s better. He dodges out of the way, grabbing Jared’s wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. Jared growls and throws his head back, hitting Jensen in the nose – not hard enough to break but hard enough that he’s seeing stars for a moment, which is the opening Jared needed. Jared pulls his arm away from Jensen’s loosened hold and spins back around, sweeping Jensen’s legs out from under him.  
  
Jensen’s surprised for half a second when his back hits the floor, Jared following him down, straddling his waist, huge hands pinning Jensen’s wrists. “I told you to leave me the fuck alone!” Jared yells, his chest heaving.  
  
Jensen takes a moment to catch his breath – and admire the sight of his beautiful, pissed-off mate above him – before bucking his hips. Jared tightens his thighs around Jensen’s hips, riding the wave of Jensen’s body, smirking down at him. A swell of love and affection swirls through Jensen. It’s adorable that Jared thinks it’s going to be this easy.  
  
Jared’s problem is he’s too cocky. He gets the upper hand and wants to gloat, thinking the fight is over. Jensen’s been trying to work that out of him, and he’s getting better, but he’s still not there yet.  
  
Jensen bucks again, catching Jared off guard this time and flips their position. Jared’s still holding onto his wrists, his blunt fingernails digging in hard enough to draw blood. Jensen rips one hand away, once again catching Jared’s long hair in his fist. He forcefully bares the long line of Jared’s neck and drops down, his teeth at Jared’s throat.  
  
Jared freezes for a moment – his natural instinct as an omega wanting him to submit to his Alpha – but it doesn’t last. With a cry of rage, Jared twists around, getting onto his knees and crawling away. Jensen catches his ankle and drags him back, pressing his weight against Jared’s back and getting him on his stomach.  
  
Jared writhes and squirms beneath him, reaching back to scratch and hit, biting Jensen whenever any part of him gets close enough to his mouth. There’s a sense of pride inside Jensen – he loves that Jared won’t just roll over and give up, even to him – but he’s done with the shit.  
  
Dropping his weight completely, Jensen spreads out along Jared’s back, forcing his hips between Jared’s legs. “Stop,” he grunts, his teeth clamping down on the back of Jared’s neck hard enough to draw blood.  
  
Jared’s whole body goes pliant but Jensen bites down just a little harder, only letting go when he hears the whimper of submission. He’s hard as a fucking rock and he can smell Jared’s arousal as well. It’s tricky getting them both undressed while trying to still pin Jared down – and Jared’s not helping  _at all_  – but Jensen manages.  
  
Jared growls half-heartedly when Jensen nudges the leaking tip of his cock against his entrance, Jared’s natural slick oozing out in thick gushes. With a growl of his own, Jensen thrusts forward, burying himself to the hilt. Jared screams, his fingers clawing at the thick carpet beneath them.  
  
“I hate you,” Jared pants even as his hips thrust back against Jensen’s, picking up the brutal pace that Jensen sets.  
  
“I know you do,” Jensen agrees, pressing a kiss to the still sluggishly bleeding wound on the back of Jared’s neck, moaning at the coppery tang of his mate’s blood.  
  
“’m serious, Jensen,” Jared growls breathlessly. “’mma fuckin’ kill you when I get up from here.”  
  
“I know you will,” Jensen whispers, trailing his lips across Jared’s broad shoulder, lapping at the sweat glistening on his mate’s tan skin. Jensen shifts his hips just slightly, his knot tugging at Jared’s rim on every thrust. Jared clenches his hands into fists, biting back a moan. “C’mon, sweetheart,” Jensen urges.  
  
“Fuck you,” Jared gasps. He’s still pissed, Jensen knows that for a fact, but he can’t hide his body’s natural reaction to Jensen. His inner muscles flutter and clench, fresh slick pulsing out around Jensen’s cock.  
  
Jensen slams forward one last time, burying himself completely, his fully-formed knot tying them together. Jared cries out, his whole body trembling as he comes, his slick channel milking Jensen perfectly and Jensen bites Jared’s shoulder with the first wave of his own release. He takes a second to catch his breath before rolling them onto their sides, not wanting to crush Jared completely. Jared’s tense, grumbling under his breath and Jensen holds on to him tightly, waiting it out.  
  
Eventually, Jared collapses against the floor, panting, his chest heaving. There’s come and Jared’s slick and blood smeared everywhere between them but Jensen just pulls him impossibly closer, tightening his arms around Jared’s sweaty, trembling frame. “What is it, baby?” Jensen asks softly, nuzzling the nape of Jared’s neck. It kind of reminds him of their first knotting.  
  
“I saw you,” Jared finally admits quietly.  
  
“What?”  
  
“At the bar, last night with Christian,” Jared grinds out. “I saw you with that fuckin’ waitress, Jensen. Her hands all over you.”  
  
Jensen buries his face in the back of Jared’s hair, trying not to let the smile come through in his voice. “Sweetheart…”  
  
“No!” Jared yells. “Don’t you  _dare_. I  _saw_  you. And you’re just damn lucky I didn’t rip your little girlfriend’s throat out with my teeth.”  
  
“Jay,” Jensen sighs, gripping Jared’s chin and forcing his head around. “I don’t know what you think you saw, but I didn’t do anything with anyone.” Jared’s eyes are still glinting with anger and left-over arousal but there’s a hint of desperation there, disbelief and hope. “I promise, sweetheart,” Jensen adds, leaning forward to press a kiss to Jared’s lips.  
  
“Why was she touchin’ you?” Jared asks softly, blinking up at Jensen owlishly, his eyes big and wide, the anger slowly dissolving.  
  
“She… She was tryin’,” Jensen admits. “Thought that she could waggle her ass in my face and I’d bend her over and fuck her stupid.” Jensen smiles when Jared growls. “I pulled her aside – away from Chris – and very politely told her that I wasn’t interested, that she has nothin’ on my beautiful, fiery, hot-tempered mate.”  
  
Jared licks his lips, reaching up to wipe away a trickle of blood running down from Jensen’s eyebrow. Jensen’s cock twitches – a fresh spurt of come shooting inside of Jared – when his mate sucks his thumb into his mouth, licking the blood away. “What’d Christian say?”  
  
“Nothin’ really,” Jensen shrugs. “I just told him that ‘m not interested in that sorta shit.”  
  
“He’s gonna wanna know why,” Jared points out.  
  
“I told him that she didn’t have the right equipment for my tastes,” Jensen smirks.  
  
Jared sighs and settles back down again, facing away from Jensen. “Still don’t like seein’ anyone’s hands on you.”  
  
For all that Jared teases about Jensen being a possessive bastard, most times, Jared’s even worse.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Despite the fact that Jensen kind of thought they worked everything out, three days later, Jared's still pissy and sulking. Jensen's had this planned for a while so he guesses now is as good a time as any. Jared frowns when Jensen leads him toward the car and blindfolds him.  
  
"Jensen..." Jared starts.  
  
"Shh, love," Jensen says softly. "Just trust me."  
  
Jared huffs a sigh and settles back against the seat.  
  
An hour later, Jared narrows his eyes when Jensen stops the car and takes the blindfold off, his arms crossed over his chest. “What the hell’re we doin’ here?” He looks around, then back at Jensen. “And where the hell  _is_  here?”  
  
Jensen smiles and leads Jared toward the tattoo shop. “’bout an hour away from home,” Jensen explains, pushing Jared inside the mostly dark and completely empty shop. “Got a surprise for you, sweetheart.”  
  
Before Jared can ask any of the – probably millions of – questions on the tip of his tongue, the man that Jensen came here to see walks out of the back room, a smile on his weathered features.  
  
Jim is an older Alpha and he’d taken Jensen in when he was still in single digits, raised him as best as he could as his own. He loves the old man as a father and aside from Jared he’s the only person on the planet that Jensen trusts.  
  
“Jensen!” Jim calls out. “’s good’ta see ya, boy.” He pulls Jensen into a brief hug, his blue eyes sparkling when he glances at Jared. “Take it this is the mate you can’t stop yammerin’ about?”  
  
Absolutely fucking  _furious_  hazel eyes snap to Jensen and Jim holds out a hand. “Easy, son,” he says calmly. “You ain’t got no enemies here, boy.”  
  
“Jensen?” Jared grits out, his jaw clenched.  
  
“Jay, this is Jim,” Jensen says pointedly, having already told Jared about the older Alpha on many occasions. Jared’s eyes widen and he turns to Jim, accepting the hand Jim holds out to him. “Yeah, old man. This is Jared, my mate.”  
  
“I’ll old man you,” Jim grumbles, that same warm smile still curling up his lips behind his beard. The man hasn’t changed in damn-near twenty years. “’s good’ta meet ya, Jared.”  
  
“You as well,” Jared says, standing tall, his shoulders square, still playing the Alpha. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”  
  
“’m sure only half of ‘s true,” Jim teases, giving Jared a wink and Jensen watches as his mate calms down slightly.  
  
Jensen presses a hand to the small of Jared’s back, his attention back on Jim. “You got that design finished I asked you for?”  
  
“Who you think yer workin’ with here, kid? Some hack amateur? ‘course I got it done.” Jim turns toward the back of the shop, throwing a “Follow me” over his shoulder.  
  
Jensen pushes against Jared’s back to get him moving, smiling when Jared looks over at him wide-eyed. “C’mon,” Jensen urges softly. “’s okay.”  
  
“You told him about me?” Jared hisses.  
  
“’course I did,” Jensen sighs. “He’s the only father I’ve ever known, Jare. And the only family I had ‘til you. I trust him, baby. With my life.”  
  
“Do you trust him with  _mine_?” Jared asks pointedly.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Okay,” Jared sighs, letting himself be lead toward the back.  
  
Jim’s got two chairs set up and he sweeps a hand toward them. “Have a seat, make yerselves comfortable.” He grabs two sheets of transfer paper off the desk and hands them to Jensen. “These’re them,” Jim explains.  
  
The design is beautiful and simple, artistic, with swirling lines and patterns. At first glance, it just looks abstract, just a pattern of swirling, interlocking lines, but inside one is Jared’s name and in the other is Jensen’s.  
  
“’s perfect, Jim,” Jensen smiles, glancing at his mate. “Ya wanna see it ‘fore we get started?” Jensen asks softly.  
  
“No,” Jared shakes his head, giving Jensen a smile. He hasn’t  _really_ smiled at Jensen in three days, since their fight. “I trust you.” The double meaning isn’t lost on Jensen and he slips his shirt off, settling back in the chair.  
  
Jensen closes his eyes, his jaw clenching when the needle touches his skin, the constant hum and the pinpricks of pain shooting straight to his cock. This was the one thing he was worried about; the way this would affect him, affect  _them_ , because he knows damn-well this is going to turn Jared on as well and he kinda hates the idea of popping wood in front of his pseudo-father.  
  
Jim chuckles and tosses Jensen’s shirt over his lap. “Happens all the time, kiddo,” he says, fond yet gruff as always.  
  
Jared makes an odd, almost wounded sound in the back of his throat and Jensen opens his eyes, turning his head enough to look over at his mate. Jared’s eyes are narrowed and he’s frowning slightly. Jensen licks his lips and reaches out one hand, smiling at his omega when Jared takes his hand. “’s okay,” Jensen whispers.  
  
Jared nods but he watches closely, his eyes never leaving Jensen – or more specifically, Jensen’s chest where Jim is busy digging the tattoo needle in.  
  
After two long hours, Jim sits back with a groan and pats Jensen’s shoulder. “All done, kid.”  
  
Jensen’s chest feels like it is on fire yet numb at the same time and his cock is hard enough to pound nails. Jim cleans his chest up and holds out a mirror, letting Jensen see the design that’s now permanently inked right above his heart. It looks amazing and Jensen honestly can’t wait to see the pattern on Jared’s tan skin. Jensen nods and Jim covers it with antibiotic cream and tapes gauze over it.  
  
“’mma take five ‘fore we get to work on Jared,” Jim tells him around a smirk. “No funny business,” he adds. “I’ll seriously only be five minutes.”  
  
Jensen smirks as he watches Jim head further back into the shop. He sits up, his jaw clenching when the movement pulls on the raw, throbbing skin and muscles of his chest. Jared looks like he’s about two seconds from either freaking out or putting a bullet into something – or some _one_  – so Jensen slides off the table and sits down next to Jared.  
  
“Hey,” Jensen says softly, pushing Jared’s hair off his forehead. “You okay?”  
  
“He hurt you,” Jared grits out, his eyes glittering like fire.  
  
“’s okay, baby,” Jensen promises. “It… ‘s a good hurt. And I asked him to.”  
  
Jared frowns, leaning against Jensen’s side, his hand sliding over Jensen’s bare abs. “Still…”  
  
Jensen chuckles fondly and presses a kiss to Jared’s temple. “You’ll see,” he teases.  
  
Before Jared can say anything else, Jim reenters the room, smiling softly at Jared. “You ready, son?”  
  
Jared licks his lips, glancing quickly at Jensen before nodding. Jensen stands next to Jared’s head, their fingers twined together. Jared closes his eyes while Jim preps his chest and the tattoo gun. At first glance he looks relaxed but Jensen can still see the tension in his frame. After the first few moments and those first few stinging bites of the needle, Jared gasps, his eyes flying open and seeking out Jensen’s. Normally bright, clear champagne-hazel is a dark, stormy green, pupils blown wide and there’s a flush creeping across Jared’s high, sharp cheekbones. He tightens his fingers around Jensen’s, a low whimper coming from the back of his throat.  
  
Jensen leans down and presses a kiss to Jared’s forehead, the side of his lips, the sensitive skin beneath his ear. “’s okay, sweetheart,” Jensen coos. “Feels fuckin’ amazin’, doesn’t it, Jay?”  
  
Jensen knows that Jared’s still not comfortable with Jim, or the fact that he’s obviously turned on by the pain from the needle, the vibrations shaking through his chest. He reaches up with his free hand, smoothing the sweat-damp hair off Jared’s forehead, making sure to keep Jared’s attention on him. “You’re doin’ so good,” he whispers.  
  
Jared stares at Jensen the whole time and by the time Jim sets the gun down and cleans Jared up, declaring him done, his eyes are completely blown-black and there’s sweat pouring off of him. The thick black swirling lines and patterns look amazing against Jared’s naturally tan skin and a shot of arousal pulses through Jensen’s whole body so acutely he can barely breathe. Normally, he has excellent control and patience – even when it comes to Jared – but he’s been painfully hard for nearly four hours now and he can smell Jared’s arousal, even over the Alpha pheromones – that sweet, spun-sugar scent that makes his mouth water and his cock throb.  
  
Jared looks down at his own chest, his eyes dark and dangerous when he glances back up, that intense gaze zeroing in on the gauze on Jensen’s chest, like he’s trying to see through it, to the ink beneath. The designs are exactly the same, with the exceptions of the swirls that make up their names and Jared narrows his eyes, snarling just slightly, obviously upset at being denied.  
  
Jensen mutters a quick good-bye and a promise to call over his shoulder to Jim as he drags Jared out of the shop. The only downside to this whole thing? They have to wait a week before they can touch the tattoos.  
  
The street around them is deserted and dark and they’re an hour away from home so Jensen feels comfortable slamming Jared up against the side of the car, both hands fisted in his sweat-damp, chestnut-colored, silky-soft waves. Jared snarls again, biting Jensen’s lips and Jensen growls, grinding his hips forward, rubbing their cocks together through too many layers of clothes.  
  
“Gonna get you off, right here, just like this,” Jensen growls, biting Jared’s chin. “Then, ‘m not gonna touch you for a week, ‘til I can run my tongue and fingers over that ink.”  
  
Jared moans, moving his head forward, adding to the pressure Jensen’s hold has on his scalp. His cock twitches with the added bite of pain and he grabs Jensen’s shoulders, dragging his blunt fingernails down Jensen’s back, hard enough to draw blood. Jensen hisses, sweat stinging the scratches and he slams their lips together. The bright, coppery-taste of blood mixes between the slide of their tongues and they both moan. Jensen’s not sure if it’s his blood or Jared’s but it doesn’t matter.  
  
“Want your cock,” Jared moans. “Want you to knot me.”  
  
“Not this time, sweetheart,” Jensen slides one hand down Jared’s back, hitching Jared’s long leg up over his hip, “Told you, not gonna fuck you ‘til I can touch and taste.”  
  
Jared whimpers, his eyes going big and dewy, pleading in a way he so seldom does – even with Jensen. “Please, Alpha,” Jared whispers.  
  
“Soon, love,” Jensen promises. “Think how good it’ll be… A week of build-up then finally being together again, free to touch and lick and bite…” Jensen trails off, his cock twitching against his zipper.  
  
Jared moans, his hips jerking forward. Jensen can feel his thick, straining length, burning hot even through coarse denim and cotton. Shoving one hand down the back of Jared’s jeans, Jensen slides two fingers down the cleft of his ass, groaning at how wet Jared is for him. “Fuck,” Jared gasps, leaning back against the car for leverage, thrusting his hips between Jensen’s fingers and the rub of their groins together. “Please, Jensen… Please, put ‘em in me…”  
  
Jensen shoves both fingers inside Jared’s leaking, fluttering hole, a year of doing this at least once a day having him hitting Jared’s prostate on the second thrust. Jared cries out, his head falling back, exposing the long, tanned line of his neck. Jensen bends forward, nipping at his pounding pulse, wishing like hell he could break the skin, mark Jared there as well. He made his mark on Jared’s left hip that first night, just like he promised, but there are still times that he wants his mark there, in the crook of Jared’s beautiful neck, for all the world to see.  
  
“More,” Jared begs, the leg around Jensen tightening, pulling Jensen closer. “Please… so close. Need more.”  
  
They both hadn’t bothered putting their t-shirts back on and Jensen is glad for the fact now. Bending down as far as he can, he bites Jared’s chest – the right side, away from the tattoo, doesn’t want to mess it up before he can fully enjoy it – breaking the skin, adding yet another of his marks to his beautiful omega’s perfect body. Jared cries out again when he comes, his hole fluttering around Jensen’s fingers, huge wet spot seeping through his jeans from front to back, and Jensen presses him harder against the car, chasing his own orgasm. His release isn’t as powerful as it usually is since he’s not tied to Jared and his knot is barely even swollen from lack of stimulation and pressure but it’s still fucking amazing, just like it always is with Jared.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Even though it was his idea, Jensen begins to doubt the genius of his plan the second day in.  
  
Jared is fucking insatiable on a regular basis but Jensen finds out for the first time when sex is withheld he becomes downright animalistic. And he definitely doesn’t play fair.  
  
On more than one occasion – just in the first day – Jensen entered either their bedroom or Jared’s private office, to find his omega beautifully naked, his cock hard and his hole leaking, his collar pressing tight around the gentle curve of his throat. His hands would slide up his thighs – never touching, even desperate his sub is well-behaved and knows the limits – and he’d look up at Jensen, pleading silently. Jensen would merely growl and storm out of the room.  
  
Seven days of no touching, still curling up with Jared in their bed – naked and warm and smelling so fucking delicious – and Jensen is at the end of his rope. He’s never in his life taken more cold showers.  
  
A week after the tattoos and Jensen peels off the bandage on his own chest, thrilled to see his skin isn’t red or swollen anymore and is barely tender to the touch. Pressing his fingers against the ink reminds him of the pain of the needle, the sensations, of watching Jared going through it as well, and Jensen groans, his jaw clenching as that same rush of arousal blooms through him.  
  
He sends everyone else in the house out again – this is becoming a habit – and heads towards Jared’s office. Only to find it empty. For a week, Jared’s been underfoot constantly, there every time Jensen turns around and now when he’s ready to make good on his promise, his mate is nowhere to be seen.  
  
He checks the entire house, frustration turning to worry, as he searches, wracking his brain to try and remember if Jared had plans today. By the time he hits the gym in the basement, he’s just about ready to call Chris and Steve back. But then he sees a billow of steam coming from under the closed door to the sauna and his worry abates. He’s still frustrated but he can’t blame Jared for not telling him where he was going; he’s not exactly been very open and welcoming to Jared in the last week.  
  
Pushing open the door, Jensen stops dead in his tracks, his breath hitching in his throat. Jared’s sprawled out along one of the wooden benches; his legs spread wide, his elbows resting on the bench behind. He’s stark naked, caramel-tan skin glistening with sweat and his hair wet and pushed away from his gorgeous face. But what catches and holds Jensen’s attention is the uncovered tattoo on Jared’s left pec. He was right; now that it's healed, the thick black ink is a stunning contrast to Jared’s naturally tanned skin.  
  
Jared licks his lips and slowly opens his eyes, the pupils blown so wide he looks high, and spreads his legs impossibly more.  
  
“Somethin’ ya want, Jen?” Jared asks, tone cool and collected but he knows his mate, knows this is a game, payback for not giving him what he’s been wanting for a week.  
  
Well, two can play at this game.  
  
Jensen merely shrugs and slips off his clothes, tossing them outside before reclosing – and locking – the door. He flops down next to Jared, legs spread so that their knees brush but no other part of their bodies. Jared shrugs and leans his head back, his eyes fluttering closed.  
  
Jensen watches out of the corner of his eye, tracking a drop of sweat that starts at Jared’s temple and slides down the side of his face, over the cut of his jaw and down the long line of his neck. He barely bites back a groan, wanting to chase the salty drop with his tongue.  
  
Jared squirms slightly, his hips flexing minutely and that’s when the smell hits Jensen full force. He’s used to Jared’s natural scent being masked by the Alpha pheromones but Jared always showers before they’re together – knowing Jensen hates the artificial smell. But in the closed, steamy room, Jared’s scent seems to be magnified by about a million. Jensen’s eyes flutter closed for a moment and he inhales deeply, letting that sweet scent fill his nose.  
  
When he reopens his eyes, he’s met with fiery, stormy hazel-green, Jared’s wide, soft lips parted slightly, the flash of pink as the tip of his tongue darts out to wet them. Keeping Jensen’s gaze, Jared slides one hand up his own thigh, biting down on that spit-slick bottom lip when his thumb brushes the swell of his balls.  
  
Jensen growls low in his throat, scooting a bit closer. “Keep goin,” he commands, barely recognizing the low, rough tone of his own voice.  
  
“Oh, now you wanna gimme permission?” Jared draws, cupping his balls in his palm, tugging just slightly on the arousal-heavy flesh. “Figured since you didn’t want it, I don’t have’ta ask, or wait, anymore.”  
  
Jensen snarls and slides down onto the ground, crawling between Jared’s spread thighs. “Baby,” he purrs, “I’ve always wanted you, since before I even met you.” He licks his lips, his hands sliding over Jared’s calves. “You’re mine, Jared. Always will be.”  
  
Jared stares down at him, not once looking away, as he slides his hand back, two fingers circling around his entrance. “Could’a fooled me this past week,” his other hand curls around his cock, slowly stroking the hard, thick length, “Seemed to me that you changed your mind, Alpha.”  
  
“Never,” Jensen growls. He scoots closer, the very tip of his index finger tracing the pattern of Jared’s tattoo. “Knew that I’d wanna do this and so much more. Didn’t want to tempt myself.”  
  
Jared’s eyes drop briefly to Jensen’s matching tattoo and Jensen sees his Adam’s apple bob when he swallows thickly. Leaning forward, making sure that the only part of them touching is where Jensen’s hand is still curled around Jared’s calf, Jensen licks Jared’s chest, nipping at the still slightly raised skin. Jared tries to bite back a moan, the choked sound getting caught in his throat.  
  
“Remember how hard and wet you got for me?” Jensen whispers against his skin, the words smeared into his mostly-healed flesh. “Remember the bite of the needle and how good it hurt and how fuckin’ turned on we were?” Jensen bites down a little harder, feels Jared’s body tremble. “You can play all you want, sweetheart, but I know how much you want me. And I know you know how much I want you,” pulling back enough to look into Jared’s lust-blown, heavy-lidded eyes, Jensen lays his palm over Jared’s tattoo and presses down and Jared’s eyes flutter, “Seven days without knottin’ this sweet, perfect ass? How could I  _not_  want you?”  
  
“Prove it,” Jared whispers; half-command, half-plea.  
  
Jensen licks his lips, dropping his gaze to watch Jared’s hands, two fingers barely thrusting into himself and his other hand still loosely fisting his cock. “Keep goin’,” Jensen commands again.  
  
Jared inhales deeply and slumps down further on the bench, his legs splayed obscenely wide as he thrusts his fingers all the way inside, his thumb and index finger of his other hand playing with the base of his cock as his other fingers play with his balls.  
  
Jensen leans forward and nips at the soft, sensitive flesh of Jared’s inner thigh, smirking when the muscle jumps beneath his lips. He lifts one of Jared’s legs over his shoulder, wrapping his arm around Jared’s hips. “Don’t stop,” he rasps as he leans down and licks around Jared’s fingers, moaning at the taste of Jared’s slick.  
  
Jensen gently pulls Jared’s fingers away, shushing his mate when he whimpers. “’s okay, baby,” he says softly, “Not stoppin’. Just want you to move your arm behind your leg for me. Can you do that?”  
  
Jared wraps his arm around the leg draped over Jensen’s shoulder, thrusting his fingers back inside from behind and Jensen hums in approval before leaning back in, his tongue sliding around and between Jared’s fingers, around and inside his rim, over the sensitive skin behind his balls. Jared’s still loosely, idly stroking just the base of his cock with two fingers, the other three rolling his balls as best as he can. With a harsh, loud moan, Jared arches his back as best as he can, his other leg coming up to rest on Jensen’s other shoulder.  
  
Jensen licks and nips at Jared's rim and his fingers, his own cock twitching and throbbing, needing to be inside the wet, tight heat of Jared’s perfect ass. But it’s been a week of nothing, no touching whatsoever and he wants to play and tease, torture and torment, Jared more than anything. Hell, half the fun is seeing just how riled up he can get his mate.  
  
Jared pulls his fingers out and grabs the back of his own thighs, holding himself wide open for Jensen. “Please,” Jared gasps, trying – and failing – to grind himself down onto Jensen’s tongue. “More… Please, Jensen, I need more.”  
  
Jensen pulls away and wraps both arms around Jared’s waist, leaning forward enough to press a soft, sweet kiss to Jared’s bitten-red lips. “Take it you forgive me then?”  
  
Jared narrows his eyes, growling low in his throat. “I’ll consider it if you get on with this and fuck me.”  
  
Jensen grins and nips at Jared’s lips, pulling away before his mate can capture his lips in a kiss. “Say you forgive me,” Jensen half-commands, mostly still teasing.  
  
Jared crosses his legs at the ankles behind Jensen’s neck and uses those strong thigh muscles to pull him forward, rutting his cock up against Jensen’s abs. “No,” Jared whispers petulantly.  
  
Jensen sighs and shakes his head, reaching up as if to remove Jared’s legs. “Well if that’s the way you feel…” Jensen trails off, smirking when Jared tightens his legs around him even more. “Something you want, sweetheart?”  
  
“I told you,” Jared half-whines, his eyes going huge and shiny. Little shit fucking  _knows_  what that look does to Jensen. “Fuck me, Jensen. Please… ‘s been a week. I-I need you.”  
  
Jensen reaches between them, sliding three fingers inside Jared’s loosened, wet rim, quirking them just right to brush over Jared’s sweet spot. Jared moans, his head falling back, his neck and back arching, his hips twitching with the urge to thrust down against Jensen’s hand.  
  
“That’s it, baby,” Jensen purrs, leaning forward to nuzzle under Jared’s jaw.  
  
Jensen twists his fingers, spreading them as he pulls them out, keeping up the almost brutal rhythm he knows Jared craves. As much as he doesn’t want to move away from Jared, he wants to taste Jared’s sweet slick again. Trailing a path of biting kisses down Jared chest – stopping for a few long minutes at his tattoo because he can’t resist, his tongue and teeth and lips leaving the flesh red and raw again – Jensen resettles between Jared’s legs, removing his fingers so that he can get his tongue inside as far as he can.  
  
Jared cries out, practically a scream, and he claws at Jensen’s shoulders, digging in and no doubt leaving bruises and scratches. The smell of Jared’s arousal is thickest here and Jensen presses his face between Jared’s cheeks as far as he can, savoring the flavor of his perfect, beautiful mate.  
  
“Jensen,” Jared pants, sounding almost panicked and Jensen flicks his eyes up to his face. His eyes are wide, dark and wild, and his lips are parted around his panting breath. “I… fuck… I can’t… Oh God,” Jared moans, long and loud, his untouched cock twitching and pulsing as he comes, streaking his stomach with thick, pearly-white.  
  
Jensen watches, eyes wide, his own cock twitching so hard it hurts. It’s not the fact that Jared came untouched – he’s actually gotten really good at doing that – it’s the fact that he let go like that, obviously unable to stop himself. Usually Jared has excellent control and will only come when Jensen tells him too.  
  
Jared slumps back against the bench, his chest heaving, sweat slicking his muscles. He looks like sin and sex personified, every wet dream Jensen’s ever had, mused up and debauched and so fucking beautiful it makes Jensen ache. Jared swallows thickly and brings one shaky hand up, his fingers sliding through the mess of his own come, his eyes still dark and his cock still half-hard and deliciously sticky.  
  
“Jensen, I…”  
  
“Fuck, that was hot,” Jensen breathes, cutting off what he’s sure was going to be an apology from Jared. Reaching out, Jensen grabs Jared’s wrist, pulling his hand forward, wrapping his lips around the two fingers Jared was absently swirling through the mess on his stomach.  
  
Jared’s eyes widen and his cock twitches. “Alpha,” he whispers.  
  
Keeping Jared’s fingers in his mouth, Jensen sits up on his knees, blindly lining his cock up to Jared’s entrance with his other hand. Jared sighs, soft and content, when Jensen presses forward, not stopping until he’s buried to the hilt. Jensen smirks around Jared’s fingers, sucking rhythmically, like he would Jared’s cock, nipping at the gun-calloused pads. Jared moans, his other hand dropping to the bench beneath him, fingers curling around the edge to hold on, and rolls his hips to meet every one of Jensen’s thrusts.  
  
Jensen pulls Jared's fingers away and wraps his hands around Jared’s lean waist, his thumbs digging into the hollow of his hipbones, mesmerized – not for the first time – the way they fit together, how Jared’s body seems to have been made specifically for his touch.  
  
By the time Jensen’s knot has swollen to the point that it’s getting harder and harder to thrust, Jared’s hard again, his legs trembling against Jensen’s shoulders and there’s a pretty steady stream of filth pouring from Jared’s kiss-bruised lips.  
  
“Fuck… God, Jensen, feels so fuckin’ good… C’mon, Alpha, fuck me like you mean it. Shove that knot up inside me so far I choke on it… Goddamn, babe… Love to feel you inside me, splitting me open on your big, fat cock…”  
  
Jensen grips Jared tighter and slams forward, picking up both pace and strength. If Jared’s still able to form coherent thoughts – even if they’re just filth praising how great it feels – Jensen isn’t doing something right.  
  
Leaning forward, Jensen licks at Jared’s tattoo, biting the tender flesh and Jared tosses his head back, one hand coming up to press against Jensen’s chest, over the matching ink there, his fingers tracing over his own name. The only sounds coming out of Jared’s mouth now are incoherent, garbled moans and growls, whimpers and breathy keening. That’s exactly what Jensen was looking for.  
  
He slams forward one last time, grinding his hips hard against Jared’s ass, his cock-head digging into Jared’s prostate and Jared fucking  _screams_ , coming again just as Jensen’s knot catches firmly. Jensen collapses forward, kissing Jared roughly, mostly tongue and teeth, no finesse, just mindless tongue-fucking. Jared eventually relaxes completely beneath him, going pliant, almost boneless, and Jensen pulls away, smirking at the blissed-out expression on his mate’s face.  
  
Jared licks his lips and slowly rolls his head to look at Jensen, his eyes blinking slowly. “Holy fuck,” he rasps.  
  
Jensen chuckles and carefully pulls Jared’s legs off his shoulders, muttering apologies when the movement inevitably pulls on Jared’s rim. He wraps Jared’s legs around his waist and pulls him forward into Jensen’s lap. Jensen sits back on his knees, maneuvering them until his back is to the benches and Jared is essentially curled up in his lap.  
  
“You okay?” Jensen asks softly, pressing a kiss to Jared’s sweat-soaked hair.  
  
“Mmhmm,” Jared hums, nuzzling under Jensen’s chin. “That was awesome but if you  _ever_  hold out on me like this again, I’ll kill you.”  
  
“Yes, baby,” Jensen answers dutifully, still smirking. Granted, he may be the Alpha in this relationship but more often than not, Jared calls the shots.


	5. The Doubt That Fills My Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after taking out Morgan and his crew, another threat comes along from Jared’s past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted on 3/12/16 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.

**Chapter Warnings:**  A/B/O, omega!Jared, Alpha!Jensen, bottom!Jared, sub!Jared, Dom!Jensen, knotting, male self-lubrication, violence, minor character death, BAMF!Jared, BAMF!Jensen, hurt!Jensen, rimming, rough sex.   
  
  
  
“So, word on the street is that there’s a player in town lookin’ to take you on since you downed Morgan.” Chris sits back in his chair with a sigh, one hand running through his long hair. Jensen frowns, waiting for him to elaborate but the other Alpha doesn’t say a word, his silent gaze trying to communicate something with Jared that Jensen just isn’t getting.   
  
Apparently, Jared isn’t getting it either because he huffs out an aggravated sigh and rolls his hand. “Gonna tell me who, Christian?”  
  
“Pellegrino.”   
  
Jensen doesn’t recognize the name but if the way Jared’s face goes pale is any indication, it must be pretty bad. “Who’s Pellegrino?”   
  
Jared looks over at him and for the first time in ten years, Jensen sees real, true fear in Jared’s eyes. He wasn’t even this afraid when he was being attacked by Morgan’s goons. Jared clears his throat and shakes his head. “Mark Pellegrino. He was partners with JD when I first came on. He… He is ruthless and violent and fucking psychotic in a way that you wouldn’t believe. Mark could’a taken JD but he’s not only vicious, he’s brilliant. He knew that we’d crush him if he moved on Jeff and he knew he couldn’t take us all on. So he went underground. Deep.”  
  
“And now he’s back,” Chris adds.   
  
Jared closes his eyes and sighs, running one hand through his hair. “How long?”  
  
“Not very.”  
  
“So we move on him first,” Jensen cuts in, shrugging one shoulder.  
  
Jared turns to look at him again, those mesmerizing, ever-changing eyes that he loves so much wide and terrified and Jensen _hates_ that there’s anyone out there that can put that look in them. “That’s part’a the problem, Jen,” he says softly. “Mark’s essentially a ghost. You don’t see him ‘til he wants you to and by then you’ve either got a knife in your back or a bullet in your brain.” He shakes his head and adds, “You know I don’t scare at all, Jensen, but this guy… He fuckin’ terrifies me.”  
  
Being that it’s just the three of them in Jared’s office, Jensen doesn’t hesitate to reach across the desk and grab his mate’s trembling hand. “’s okay, sweetheart,” he says softly. “We’ll take him down. I got your back.” Jared swallows thickly, his eyes still a little wide, and nods. Jensen squeezes his fingers before letting go and turning his attention to Chris. “Find out what you can. Make sure this is more than just rumor,” he commands. “Lay low and keep this between us for now. Be safe and don’t move on this until we have more info and a plan.”  
  
Chris nods and after one last quick glance at Jared, leaves the room. Jensen gets up as well, locking the door behind Chris. Jared meets him in the middle of the room and Jensen pulls him into his arms, his hand sliding up and down Jared’s back. He’s not used to seeing Jared like this – scared and trembling, anything less than the Alpha he pretends to be. It doesn’t make him think any less of Jared, he loves him no matter what, but it concerns him. Jared prides himself on being strong and in control – except when it comes to their relationship – and he’s secure in his role as head of this crew. But he’s noticed a change in Jared since the shit with JD and his attack, something going on in Jared’s head that he’s not talking about. And it worries Jensen.  
  
“Jensen, you have to promise me that you won’t move on this either,” Jared says softly, pulling back enough to look at Jensen. “Please? Just like you told Chris, not until we know more and have a plan.”  
  
Jensen reaches up and palms Jared’s cheek, brushing his thumb over his bottom lip. “I promise, love,” he says softly. “But you gotta promise me the same. You’re on lock-down until we figure this out, okay? No leavin’ the house, for anything. You need somethin’ done, you send one’a the guys.” It is a risky command and Jensen knows it. Jared hates to be locked down, prevented from doing what he wants, when he wants. So when Jared merely nods and melts against Jensen’s chest, Jensen knows that this is bigger than he originally thought.   
  
Jensen presses a kiss to the top of Jared’s head and wraps both arms around his massive frame, his mind going a million miles a minute trying to figure out a way to stop this latest threat to his mate.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared pulls away from Jensen, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. “’mma head upstairs,” he says softly.   
  
“You okay?” Jensen asks.  
  
“Just… Got a bit of a headache.” It’s true and mostly that is what’s wrong but Jared also needs a little bit of time alone, needs to get his head on straight and take a bit to worry about this Pellegrino situation without Jensen’s watchful gaze. Jensen frowns but doesn’t say anything else, merely presses a kiss to Jared’s lips and lets him leave.  
  
No one other than Jared, Mark, and JD ever knew the real reason that Mark left like he did back in the day. A shudder runs through Jared’s body as he thinks about the past, a shiver of fear slithering down his spine when he remembers that day sixteen years ago.   
  
At this point, Jared doesn’t even care that he’s not exuding his normal bravado and nonchalance and ruthlessness. He wasn’t lying to Jensen. Mark Pellegrino is the only person on the face of the earth that Jared truly fears. And he’s apparently back. Adding this on top of what he’s been dealing with lately isn’t helping at all either.   
  
He pushes all the rest of the shit to the back of his mind, this latest threat what he needs to focus on. He can’t afford to be weak right now and getting lost in his own self-hatred and disgust in himself, his biology, even his relationship with Jensen, will just get him killed.   
  
Jared strips down to just his boxer briefs and curls up in his and Jensen’s bed, Jensen’s pillow wrapped in his arms, pressed tight against his chest. He inhales deeply, his eyes squeezing closed at the calming, soothing scent of his mate. He should tell Jensen the truth before this goes any further. But he knows, without a doubt, that if Jensen finds out, he’ll go after Mark and not think twice about it. And there’s the very real possibility that he’ll get killed for his efforts.   
  
No, he can’t tell Jensen. He can’t risk losing his mate, knows that he’ll die right along with Jensen if something happens. It’s his curse as a fucking omega.  
  
Despite the fear and memories swirling around in his brain, Jared actually falls into a restless sleep, his dreams filled with the terrifying images from his youth.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen stays in Jared’s office, mind still whirling with the possibilities. To his surprise, Chris is back within a few hours, confirming his worst fear.   
  
“He’s back,” is all the other Alpha says, his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists at his side.   
  
“What’re we gonna do here, man?”  
  
Chris sighs and flops into the chair, shoving his hair back off his face. “I don’t even know, Jen. This is a tricky one. We need’ta move before he does but I couldn’t even get a lock on where he is right now. Just the confirmation from one’a our informants that it is in fact him.”  
  
Jensen runs one hand down his face, over his mouth. “I… I don’t want Jared involved in this, Chris…”  
  
“You know that’s gonna cause problems,” Chris interrupts.  
  
“I do,” Jensen agrees. “And frankly, I don’t give a fuck. Let him be pissed at me. At least he’ll be alive to be.”  
  
“You think he’s gonna let you move on this without him?”  
  
“Not willingly, no. That’s why he’s not gonna know.”  
  
Chris shakes his head, a slight smirk curling up his lips. “That’s askin’ for trouble, dude.”  
  
Jensen snorts out a laugh and pushes himself up out of Jared’s chair, clapping Chris on the back as he passes. “I have my ways of dealin’ with our fearless leader.”   
  
“Ugh, c’mon, Jen,” Chris whines. “I don’t need’ta know this shit.”  
  
Jensen chuckles as he leads Chris out of Jared’s office. “Hey, ‘m just sayin’.”  
  
Chris shudders dramatically. “Yeah, but I wish you wouldn’t. Jay’s like my little brother, man. I don’t need’ta know about his sex life.”  
  
Jensen merely shrugs as they step out into the hallway. “’mma go check on him,” Jensen says softly. “Start brainstorming on what we need to do. I still don’t want this getting around too much but pull Steve, Jason and Chad in on it. Not too many details though, okay? We don’t want to bring attention to Jared or his issues with this.”  
  
“Sure thing.”  
  
Jensen heads straight up the main stairs and to the third floor. There aren’t many of the guys around right now and he can very easily claim that he’s merely checking on Jared if anyone were to see him. All thoughts of anything else fly out of his head though when he enters their bedroom.   
  
Jared’s in bed, clutching one of Jensen’s pillows, his massive frame shaking even in sleep, a low, whimpery-whine coming from his throat. They’re not the good kind of whimpers – the kind that Jensen loves to draw out of Jared with his lips and tongue – but ones of pure fear.   
  
Locking the door quickly, Jensen nearly runs across the room, scooping Jared into his arms. Jared fights, of course he does, muttering and jerking in Jensen’s hold. “Shh, Jay, ‘s me.”  
  
Jared screams, his eyes flying open wide, unfocused hazel moving rapidly around the room. “Jared,” Jensen says, firm but soft. “Calm down.”  
  
“No,” Jared pants, pushing at Jensen’s chest, catching him with a right hook across the jaw when Jensen doesn’t let go. Thankfully, being this close, it doesn’t really hurt and Jensen tightens his hold.  
  
“Shh, sweetheart,” he whispers into Jared’s ear. “’s me, baby. ‘s Jensen. C’mon, calm down for me.”  
  
“No, please… No no no no no no…”  
  
Grabbing Jared’s shoulder with one hand, his chin with the other, Jensen forces Jared’s wide, terrified eyes to focus on him. “Jared, c’mon, wake up. You’re safe. ‘s just me. C’mon, my sweet omega.”  
  
“Jensen?” Jared whispers.   
  
“Yeah,” Jensen breathes. “’s me.”  
  
Jared goes boneless in his hold, his whole body slumping like someone cut the strings on a puppet. Jensen settles him back down against the mattress, quickly stripping himself completely and crawling into bed beside his trembling mate, pulling Jared into his arms, hoping the skin to skin contact will help.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared settles against Jensen’s chest, his cheek resting over his Alpha’s heart, letting the calming rhythm soothe his own. He sighs deeply, cuddling impossibly closer and closes his eyes again. Jensen cards one hand through his hair, the other pressing against the small of his back, keeping him close.   
  
“Jay?”  
  
“’m okay,” Jared says quickly.  
  
Jensen snorts a humorless laugh. “You’re pretty fuckin’ far from okay, love.”  
  
“Just a nightmare, Jen. It happens.”  
  
“I… I couldn’t wake you up. Your eyes were open but you weren’t seein’ me.” Jensen pauses, rubbing soothing circles into the small of his back. “Tell me about it?”  
  
Jared sighs again and turns over on his other side, blindly reaching back for Jensen’s arm and dragging it across his waist. He can’t look Jensen in the eyes for this. Jensen takes the hint and scoots up against his back, both arms wrapped around him tightly. Jared stares at the far wall, dreading this conversation. He doesn’t want to tell Jensen but he knows that his mate won’t let it go, no matter how hard he tries to convince him he’s okay.  
  
“I met Mark a few weeks after I joined up with JD’s crew,” Jared starts, surprised by how toneless his own voice sounds, how detached. “Jeff had him out on some run or something, I honestly don’t know but Jeff tried his best to keep him away from the house as much as possible. I think he was already plannin’ to get rid’a him but I don’t know for sure. The first few months, I was always with Christian or Jeff so it was okay, ya know? No one really bothered me. And by the time I was workin’ jobs on my own, most’a the other guys liked me well enough that they didn’t fuck with me. ‘cept for Mark…” Jared pauses, inhaling deeply, and leans back further in Jensen’s arms. “He used to fuck with me all the time. Just stupid shit at first, runnin’ his mouth about me bein’ a runt and shit like that. But eventually it turned… darker. He started talkin’ about how pretty I was and askin’ if I was sure I was an Alpha, shit like that,” Jensen tenses, his arms squeezing Jared almost to the point of pain, and Jared rubs one hand over his arm, trying to calm him down, “I, uh, it freaked me out so I went to Chris. He told me not to worry ‘bout it, that Mark was just a dick but he’d keep an eye on me either way.”  
  
Jared closes his eyes and inhales deeply again. “One day, I thought everyone was outta the house so I went snoopin’ around. I was a stupid fourteen-year-old kid, ya know? Too curious for my own good. Well, I found Mark in JD’s office and he… he was fuckin’ some kid over JD’s desk. He was an omega, maybe a few years older’n me but not much. Mark didn’t see me at first but he… God, Jensen, it was horrible. He tore the kid up. I guess I must’a made some kinda noise or somethin’ ‘cause Mark turned on me. He threw the kid to the ground, broken and bleedin’, more’n half dead and came after me. He… he had me pinned to the wall, jeans around my ankles, his hand curled around my cock, other hand grabbing at my ass, fingers trying to push inside me, when JD busted in the door. Mark ran right after that. I… I think he knew that JD was gonna kill him.”  
  
After a few tense, quiet moments, Jensen growls and jumps up from the bed, angrily grabbing his clothes. “’m gonna rip his fuckin’ lungs out!” he yells.  
  
Jared sighs and pushes himself up off the mattress as well, catching Jensen by the shoulders. His mate is seething, angrier than Jared’s ever seen him. “Jensen…”  
  
“No! Don’t even, Jared,” Jensen growls. “You were a fourteen-year-old kid! And he was gonna…” Jensen trails off, his jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek ticking. “’mma rip his balls off with my bare hands and that’s just the start!”  
  
Jared pulls Jensen into his arms, using all his strength to keep Jensen still. “This is why I didn’t want you to know,” Jared says softly. “I knew that you’d be pissed and head outta here half-cocked. You’re gonna get yourself killed this way, Jensen. What… What’ll happen to me then, huh?”  
  
“Don’t guilt-trip me right now, Jared,” Jensen grits out. “Aside from the fact that you’re my fuckin’ mate, this dickhead attacked you when you were just a fuckin’ kid!”  
  
“And we’ll get him,” Jared replies with a calmness he doesn’t really feel. “But we gotta be smart about it, okay? Please?”  
  
Jensen inhales deeply and looks up at Jared, his green eyes dark and glinting. “Does he know that you’re an omega?”  
  
“I… I don’t know,” Jared sighs. “I hadn’t started my heats yet but of course I didn’t have a knot either. I don’t know how close attention he paid, ya know?”  
  
Jensen grabs his hair with both hands, the look on his face feral. “I want him, Jared. When we do this, he’s mine. Got me?”  
  
“Yeah,” Jared sighs. “Just… You gotta promise me that you’ll be careful. Please, Jen. And no stupid shit.”  
  
Jensen smirks and pulls him into his arms. “When have I ever done somethin’ stupid?”  
  
“You really want me to answer that?”  
  
“No,” Jensen half-chuckles. He sighs and tightens his arms around Jared, pressing a kiss to the side of his lips. “I just… Fuck, I can’t believe this dick would do somethin’ like that. I… ‘m sorry you had’ta go through that, love.” Walking Jared backward toward their bed, Jensen gently urges him down. “Go ‘head and lay back down, sweetheart. I’ll go and start brainstorming with Christian, okay?”  
  
“Stay with me? Please, Jensen?”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen sighs and climbs onto the mattress, curling up around Jared. “Just for a bit,” Jensen whispers, pressing a kiss to the back of Jared’s neck. Jared sighs contently and settles down, his eyes sliding closed. Jensen holds him, his mind whirling with possibilities. He can’t remember _ever_ being this angry before. Sure, Jared wasn’t his mate when this happened – hell, at that point he hadn’t even known Jared – but it’s the point that some scumbag tried to hurt Jared at all and the fact that he was just a kid when it happened and now is stupid enough to come back after him.   
  
Once Jensen is sure Jared is completely asleep, he creeps out of their room and downstairs. The guys are all in the living room, pizza boxes spread all over the tables. Jensen catches Christian’s eye and jerks his chin toward Jared’s office.   
  
“Tell me you know where I can find this prick,” Jensen states without preamble once the door closes behind them.  
  
“He told you,” Chris sighs. It’s not a question but Jensen still nods. “Fuck,” Chris grits out, rubbing one hand over his face. “Yeah, I got eyes on him now but. Jensen… This, this isn’t smart, man. You don’t know what all he’s capable of and ‘sides, Jared’s gonna flip his shit when he finds out.”  
  
“Jared’s not gonna know,” Jensen growls. “And ‘m pretty fuckin’ sure I’ve got a good idea what he’s capable of.” Jensen paces away, his whole body vibrating with anger. “How the fuck could you just let that fucker run?” he demands, spinning back around to face Chris. “Jared was fourteen fuckin’ years old! You… You should’a protected him!”  
  
“Whoa,” Chris sputters, holding his hands up in front of him. “I didn’t find out ‘til after Mark had already split, man. And believe me, I looked. Jay’s _always_ been like a brother to me. I was gonna tear the bastard apart piece by piece. Shit, man, Jared doesn’t even know that I know what happened back then. JD told me, wanted me to try’n find him and make the fucker pay.”  
  
“Then help me now,” Jensen half-commands, half-begs. “I don’t… I don’t want him anywhere near this, Chris. Help me finish it.”  
  
Chris sighs and shakes his head, flopping down into the chair in front of Jared’s desk. “When this comes back to bite us in the ass, and it will, just remember that I told you so, okay? And ‘m goin’ on record as tryin’ to talk you outta this.”  
  
“Noted,” Jensen nods, sitting on Jared’s desk, facing Chris. “I don’t care what happens after, frankly. Let Jared be pissed at me. I’ll take the heat. But I just… I can’t let this go, Chris. You know that.”  
  
“I do,” Chris agrees, rubbing one hand down his face. He reaches out and grabs a piece of paper off Jared’s desk, scribbling a few lines and hands it to Jensen. “That’s where you’ll find him.”  
  
Jensen nods and claps Chris on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”  
  
“Just… Watch your ass, okay?” he sighs. “And not just ‘cause I don’t wanna have’ta deal with Jared when he finds out what you’ve done,” Chris adds pointedly.  
  
Jensen smirks and nods again, heading out the door without another word.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared wakes up slowly, stretching along the mattress, automatically reaching out for Jensen before he opens his eyes. When his hand slides over cold, empty sheets, his eyes snap open and a sickening feeling surges through him. “Goddamn it, Jensen,” he growls as he jumps up, grabbing his jeans and t-shirt off the floor.  
  
Chris is hovering just outside his office, trying his best not to look guilty when he catches sight of Jared but he’s known Chris a _long_ damn time. “Where’s Jensen?” Jared asks through gritted teeth.  
  
“Not sure, boss,” Chris mutters.  
  
“Christian…”  
  
“Seriously, Jay, no idea.”  
  
“Where’s my fuckin’ mate, Christian!”  
  
“Whoa,” Chris breathes, grabbing his shoulders and shoving him into his office, slamming the door behind them.   
  
“What the fuck?!” Jared shouts.  
  
“You need’ta calm the fuck down, Jay, right now,” Chris growls. “You really wanna risk everything you and Jensen have been workin’ so hard to hide for ten damn years?”  
  
“I just wanna know where the fuck he is.”  
  
“C’mon, Jay,” Chris sighs. “Think about it. Where would you be?”  
  
“This isn’t his fight!”   
  
“Like hell it’s not! He’s…”  
  
“I swear to God, Christian, if the next words outta your mouth have anything to do with him bein’ my Alpha, I’ll forget that we’re friends and that you saved my life back in the day.”  
  
“I was gonna say that he’s family,” Chris drawls. “And what was it we agreed on when we left JD’s? Anyone messes with one’a us, they mess with all of us.”  
  
“He doesn’t know what Mark’s capable of,” Jared says softly, pacing across his office, one hand running through his hair.  
  
“I think he does,” Chris mutters. “Maybe not all the specifics but I think he gets it.”  
  
“At least tell me he didn’t go alone.”  
  
“Matt and Misha are tailin’ him, even if he doesn’t know it,” Chris smirks.  
  
Jared’s about to respond when the door opens and Steve rushes in. “Sorry to interrupt, boss,” he says quickly. Turning to Chris, he shakes his head, his eyes wide. “I lost audio with Matt and Misha. Which means I don’t have eyes on Jensen anymore.”  
  
Jared’s heart slams against his ribs, his head spinning. Chris stands up and subtly moves closer, pressing his shoulder against Jared’s, silently giving him strength and support. Clearing his throat, Jared turns his attention to Steve. “Gather everyone who’s here. Meet me out front in five.”  
  
Once the door closes behind Steve, Jared turns to look at Chris, his eyes wide. “Hey,” Chris says firmly. “Deep breaths. You can do this, man.”  
  
Jared nods and inhales deeply, squaring his shoulders and slipping into the familiar, comfortable Alpha persona he’s perfected. “’m good. Let’s go get this fucker and get our guys back.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Ultimately, Jensen knows this is a bad idea. He promised Jared that he wouldn’t do this, even went so far as to essentially put Jared on lock-down to prevent him from doing the very thing that Jensen’s doing himself but he just can’t stand the idea of Jared being involved in this. He doesn’t think Jared’s weak, not by any means, nor does he think Jared couldn’t handle it. It’s just… This dick fucked with an innocent kid and that kid turned out to be his mate. Jensen just wants the son of a bitch for himself. He’ll make it up to Jared. Somehow.  
  
The door to the warehouse opens easily and Jensen rolls his eyes. The sick fucker is obviously expecting someone – probably Jared – and he set the most obvious trap. Jensen pauses long enough to let Matt and Misha get into position – he knows Chris sent them and they’re not nearly sneaky enough to tail him and not get caught – before walking further into the darkened building. To his surprise, he makes it to the center of the large warehouse before he sees anyone. Two pretty big Alphas are standing near the back of the room they’re in, eyes trained carefully on Jensen. He doesn’t pay them a whole lot of attention, they’re not who he’s here to see but he keeps tabs on them in his peripheral vision.   
  
“You’re not who I was expecting at all.” The disembodied voice comes from the shadows right in front of Jensen and he tilts his head, squinting into the darkness.   
  
“Yeah well, I’m the messenger,” Jensen smirks, shrugging one shoulder.   
  
An Alpha who Jensen assumes is Mark steps forward into the light, his eyes cold and dark when he looks Jensen up and down. Jensen tips his chin up, squaring his shoulders. He’s probably a good ten, fifteen years older than Jensen, not nearly as broad or as tall but there’s a cold, calculating look in his eyes, a bit of mania and Jensen can see how he’d be a threat.   
  
“You are just too damn pretty to be an Alpha,” Mark purrs, taking a step closer to Jensen, licking his lips. “Or are you playing games too?”  
  
Jensen frowns, shaking his head. “I have no fuckin’ clue what you’re talking about.”  
  
“Sweet, sweet Jared,” Mark says around a leer. “I know his secret.”  
  
Jensen usually has amazing patience. He knows if you wait long enough, your enemy will come to you and they usually fuck up when they do. But hearing his mate’s name come out of this slimy fucker’s mouth has him seeing red. Not to mention the tease that he knows the truth about Jared.   
  
Lunging forward, Jensen tackles him to the concrete, momentarily elated by the pained grunt from not only the hit to the unforgiving ground but from Jensen’s full weight compressing his chest. He leans down, snarling in Mark’s face. “You don’t talk about him.”  
  
Mark’s eyes widen and sparkle with barely veiled glee. “Oh, pretty little runt went and got himself a mate.” He leans up, whispering in Jensen’s ear, “Do you know I touched him first?”  
  
Jensen growls and pulls back, punching Mark as hard as he can. Deep down, he knows that he shouldn’t let this bastard get to him, that he’s letting his emotions lead him and that’ll get him into trouble. But he just can’t stop. His blood boils through his veins, his inner Alpha closer to the surface than it has ever been. Jensen lets his fists fly, not even paying attention to anything else around him.   
  
He yells when strong hands grab his arms, pulling him off Mark, hell up off the _ground_ even. Chest heaving, Jensen looks to the side and sees the two other Alphas and promptly wants to kick his own ass.   
  
Mark smirks, spitting blood onto the floor at his feet. “Messenger, huh?” he sneers. “Well, I got a little message of my own.”  
  
Jensen grunts when a fist catches him in the stomach then another across his jaw. He struggles in the other men’s grasps, but it’s no use. He cringes when he feels at least one rib snap, knows Jared’s going to be fucking _pissed_.   
  
After an indeterminable amount of time, Mark stops and cocks his head to the side for a second. “Get him in the chair and tie him up. We’ve got company.”  
  
Jensen clenches his jaw as they slam him into a chair in the middle of the room, rough rope cutting into his wrists. He can feel his eye swelling shut, a split lip, more bruises and cuts than he can count, and the busted ribs.   
  
Yeah, Jared’s definitely going to be pissed.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared stands in front of the house, the available members of his crew – and his most trusted aside from Jensen and Chris – in front of him. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he starts, kind of amazed at how calm and collected he sounds when he’s worried sick about his mate. “I know y’all don’t know who Mark Pellegrino is but he’s a tough son of a bitch and he’s got Misha, Matt and Jensen…”  
  
“Whoa,” Chad interrupts. “Dude’s got _Jensen_?”  
  
“Yes, Chad,” Jared sighs. “I know this is a lot and if y’all don’t wanna be in on this…”  
  
“Fuck that,” Chad interrupts again. “I just wanna know how much shit I get to give Jenny when I bust in and have to save his damsel in distress ass.”  
  
Despite everything, Jared bursts out a laugh. “I swear, one’a these days, Jensen’s gonna kill you and ‘m not gonna even try to stop him.”  
  
“Pfft,” Chad waves one hand in the air. “You bitches all love me and would be lost without me.”  
  
Jared shakes his head, ignoring Chad. “Okay, so our main goal is recovery. I want all three of our guys out. We’re goin’ in as teams. Stay together. Have each other’s backs. Mike and Tommy, I want you two to take the back. Jason and Chad, you two up front. I don’t think he’ll have a crew but he might’ve hired some muscle. Take out anyone you see.” Heaving a sigh, he continues, “Steve, I want you in the car, on surveillance. Aldis, I need an explosion and a distraction, then you’re back in the car with Steve. Chris and I will go in once it’s all clear. Keep radio contact. We get one shot at this, y’all so we gotta make it count.”  
  
Chris drives, Jared in the passenger’s seat and an SUV behind them with the rest of the team. It doesn’t take long to get to the warehouse that Mark’s holed up in and at first glance, there’s no one else around.   
  
“Steve, what’d’ya got?” Jared asks into his ear piece.  
  
“Matt and Misha are tied up in the front, toward the doors. Should be easy enough for Jason and Chad to get them out and get them clear so Al can blow the interior door.”  
  
“And Jensen?”  
  
“No sign of him but it’s hard to see into the center of the building. Should know more once we blast it.”  
  
“Will a blast hit him?”  
  
“Not if it’s small enough. He’s not in the front part of the building. Best guess is he’s in the middle or near the back somewhere.”  
  
“Very good. Alright, y’all, move out and get into position. Remember, if you see anyone, take ‘em out, but our primary goal is gettin’ everyone out.”  
  
Chris squeezes his shoulder once as they move into position, watching as Jason and Chad sneak in the front, coming back out within minutes with Matt and Misha. “Chad, talk to me?” Jared grits out.  
  
“They’re fine, boss,” Chad mutters. “Little worse for wear but they’ll be okay.”  
  
“Either of ‘em talkin’?” Chris asks.  
  
“Nope,” Jason answers. “Both unconscious.”  
  
“Get ‘em to Steve in the car then get back into position. Far enough back to stay clear of the blast.”  
  
“Yup.”  
  
“Tommy, Mike, any visual on Jensen from the back?”  
  
“Negative, Jared,” Tom sighs. “Not much back here ‘cept a single metal door.”  
  
“Keep an eye on it, don’t want anyone headin’ out that way.”  
  
Jared turns to Chris, inhaling deeply. “If we can’t get a 20 on Jensen, either front or back, then he’s definitely in the middle somewhere.”  
  
“Yeah,” Chris sighs. “You ready?”  
  
Jared nods and turns his attention back to the building. “Al, blow it.”  
  
It’s a small explosion, just enough to blow up a bit of the front of the building and blow open doors, mostly for distraction. With one last quick look at Chris, Jared charges forward.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen’s grin is feral when he hears the blast – the split in his lip reopening, fresh blood dripping down his chin – and he makes eye contact with the piece of shit in front of him. He licks the blood away, still grinning. He knows Aldis’ work, knows his mate probably has probably half their crew right outside the doors and while Jensen may have underestimated this situation in the beginning, he knows without a fucking doubt that this fucker is about to go down – and go down _hard_.   
  
Jared’s not that same fourteen-year-old runt anymore and Mark’s a little weak from the beating Jensen gave him as it is. Not to mention the fact that he’s got Jensen tied to a fucking chair, bleeding, and Jared’s not going to be too fucking happy about any of this.   
  
A shiver moves up and down Jensen’s spine. Fuck but his mate is beautiful when he’s homicidal and he can’t fucking _wait_ to see Jared come charging in that door.  
  
Mark jerks a bit where he’s leaning heavily against the wall, his head snapping toward the sound of the explosion. The two idiots that he hired to help take Jensen out look to back and forth between Mark and the door, uncertainty written clear as day on their faces.   
  
“Well, what the fuck are you waiting for?” Mark slurs. “Go see!”  
  
Jensen mentally says good-bye to stunt-goons numbers one and two.   
  
It doesn’t take long – a few minutes at the most – before Jared storms inside, Chris right behind him. Jared’s eyes are fierce, glittering a dark, stormy-green, top lip pulled over his teeth in a snarl, twirling his favorite blade between his fingers. He glances at Jensen quickly and Jensen blinks the eye not swollen, stunned speechless for a moment by the sheer _fury_ on his mate’s face. Jensen glances at Chris, almost laughing when Chris shrugs one shoulder and shakes his head, smirking a bit.   
  
Yeah, Jensen knew Jared would be pissed but this is a level he’s never seen before.   
  
Mark’s eyes widen comically when he sees Jared – tall, strong, broad, built-like-a-brick-shithouse, fucking intimidating-as-fuck Jared – but he recovers quickly, pushing himself away from the wall. Jensen watches as he advances on Jared, watches as Jared doesn’t move a muscle. He’s never been so proud of his mate, knows how freaked out Jared was but there’s not a sign of that now.   
  
Chris comes up behind the chair, cuts him loose, and helps him stand up. “C’mon,” he mutters, trying to urge Jensen toward the door.  
  
“Fuck that,” Jensen growls. “’m not leavin’ him,” he adds, slowly making his way toward Jared, smirking when he hears Chris sigh and follow behind him, swears he hears him mutter _Gonna get my ass kicked yet_.  
  
“Jared,” Mark purrs, stopping a few feet in front of Jared, signs of the earlier fight between him and Jensen being shoved to the side and if the guy was such a slimy prick, Jensen would admire his tenacity. “Shit, boy, you sure as hell filled out, didn’t’cha? No longer the runt, huh? Or the pretty little twink.”  
  
Jensen’s standing behind Jared but he can perfectly picture the eye-roll and the bored expression and Jensen can’t help but wonder if Mark knows how stupid it is to poke the bear.   
  
Jared inhales once, squares his shoulders, and says – without looking back at either of them – “Chris, get him the hell outta here.”  
  
Chris glances at Jensen and shrugs, shaking his head. “Jared…” Jensen starts.  
  
“No,” Jared growls. “Outside. Now.”  
  
Jensen understands – logically. Jared can’t concentrate with Jensen standing behind him, injured, and he doesn’t want to have to worry about keeping both him and Christian safe. But his inner Alpha bristles at the command, at the thought of leaving his mate alone with a madman. Besides, he _really_ wanted to be the one to take this cocksucker down.   
  
“C’mon,” Chris mutters, grabbing Jensen around the waist and tugging him toward the door. He can see Jared watching from the corner of his eye, the last sight he sees is his mate finally advancing on Mark before Chris gently shoves him outside.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
“You’ve got ‘em all fooled, don’t you, pretty boy?” Mark leers, slowly advancing on Jared.  
  
“What the hell are you talkin’ about? Did Jensen knock a few more screws loose?”  
  
“You can play pretend all you want but I know the truth. You’re no Alpha.” Mark licks his lips, leaning closer, inhaling deeply. “You hide that sweet omega scent well, Jared. But I know the truth. Saw your pretty little dick that night, runt, _felt_ it, all smooth at the base. You’re nothin’ but an omega whore.”  
  
Jared tilts his chin up, his eyes narrowing. He’s not about to let this son of a bitch get to him; he’s not that same scared fourteen-year-old kid anymore – hasn’t been in a long damn time. “You’re crazier than I thought, Mark. I was a kid.”  
  
Mark shakes his head, moving a little closer to Jared – the fucking idiot. “You were fourteen, pup. Knot should’a popped by twelve, thirteen at the latest. No, you’re no Alpha,” he repeats. “You’re just another knot-slut, a filthy whore and I’m gonna have a _lot_ of fun teaching you your place. You’ve been playing pretend with the real men too long, pretty boy. Seems as if you’ve forgotten where you belong.”  
  
“And just where’s that?” Jared scoffs.  
  
“On your knees, begging for a knot. That’s all your kind is good for.”  
  
Fighting with Jensen – and alongside him – all these years has taught Jared a lot. Most of all, is patience. If you wait long enough, your prey will come to you. And most of the time, they will strike first, convinced that they have the upper hand. Mark is no different; typical cocky Alpha, striking out as soon as he’s within range. Jared lets the first hit land, smirking as he spits blood onto the floor. “That all you got, old man?” Jared taunts.  
  
Like he expected, Mark charges at him, which gives him the perfect opportunity he needs. Usually, Jared likes to play around, cause some damage – like he did with JD – especially if it is personal. But he doesn’t really want to give Mark a chance to get away and he has a mate to check on – then beat bloody for pulling this shit to begin with.   
  
With a growl, Jared swings forward, his knife catching Mark in the stomach. One arm wrapping around Mark’s shoulders, Jared twists the knife and pulls up, toward Mark’s chin, slicing him from navel to neck. He leans down, close enough so Mark can hear him, and whispers, “You’re right, I am an omega. But ‘m nobody’s bitch. And ‘m certainly not a whore. You hurt my mate, you fucker. You should be glad ‘m bein’ generous and killin’ you quickly.”   
  
Jared pulls his knife away and pushes Mark to the floor, head tilted to the side as he watches him take his last breathes. Once it’s over, Jared heads back outside, intent on finding Jensen. He’s not nearly as surprised as he thinks he should be when Chris intercepts him before he can get to the cars.   
  
“Chris,” Jared sighs, shaking his head.   
  
“Wait, just… Don’t go too hard on him, okay?”  
  
“What? Why? Is he okay?” Jared asks even as he’s pushing past Chris, trying to get to Jensen.  
  
“Yeah, mostly. He’s banged up pretty good but just go easy, alright? He was just tryin’ to protect you.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen looks up when he hears the sound of heavy footsteps, his gaze landing on his still very pissed off mate. Chris had somehow managed to talk the other guys into taking Matt and Misha back to the house so luckily, there’s only the three of them.  
  
Jensen grunts as he sits up where he was leaning back in the front seat of Jared’s car, relieved to not see any injuries to his mate aside from a split lip. “That was quick.”  
  
“Yeah, well, would’a been quicker if the dipshit didn’t try to monologue me to death.” Jared looks over toward Chris, jerks his head toward the warehouse. “Clean shit up for me? I need a second here.”  
  
Chris sighs and shoots a quick glance at Jensen before nodding and heading off without a word. Jared watches him walk away but Jensen’s too busy staring at Jared. His strong jaw is clenched and there’s blood sluggishly leaking from the corner of his lip and a smattering along the front of his shirt and on his right hand. He looks beautiful, the bluish glow from the almost full moon casting part of him in shadow, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. After a few moments, those champagne-hazel eyes lock on him, still glinting with anger but underneath he can see the worry and love. “So, scale of one to ten, how pissed are you?”  
  
Jared sighs and his eyes slide closed for a moment, his hand trembling a little when he runs it through his hair. “Depends,” he eventually sighs, reopening his eyes. “One to ten, how hurt are you?”  
  
“’m fine, baby,” Jensen starts.  
  
“Don’t,” Jared grits out, taking a step closer so that he can lean his massive frame all the way inside the car. “Seriously, don’t fuckin’ do that right now, Jensen. ‘m not even close to playin’.”  
  
Jensen reaches out with one hand and grabs the back of Jared’s neck, pulling him even closer. Jared crouches down, leaning slightly into Jensen’s side. Sure, he’s a little banged up – more pissed off than anything that that fucking asshole managed to get the better of him at all – but he’s had worse from Jared’s own hands when they’re play fighting. “’m seriously okay. Maybe about a two, two and a half.”  
  
“Then ‘m at about a nine!” Jared snaps back. “What the fuck were you thinkin’, Jensen?! Jesus Christ, I _told_ you what he was capable of. And I know you got some good shots in and I know that’s the only reason I was able to take him down so easily but fuck,” he growls, tears glistening in his eyes when he looks up at Jensen, “I could’a fuckin’ lost you.” He swallows thickly, shaking his head. “You… You promised me, Jensen. I… I was fuckin’ _terrified_ when Steve said he lost visual on you. And you know how mad it makes me to be afraid.”  
  
Jensen leans forward and presses a kiss to Jared’s temple, sliding his hand through Jared’s sweat-damp, messy hair, playing idly with the ends where they curl up. “’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says softly. “I just… I wanted him so fuckin’ bad. And I didn’t want you to have’ta deal with this. I was wrong, okay?” He drags his lips down the side of Jared’s face, pressing another kiss to the side of his lips, right where the tiny cut is still bleeding. “Forgive me?” he murmurs, licking away the trickle of blood.  
  
Jared sighs and relaxes completely against his side, turning his face enough to slide their lips together. “No,” he whispers into the kiss, the word smeared against Jensen’s lips.  
  
“No?” Jensen asks as he pulls away, one eyebrow raised. “Seriously?”  
  
“Yes, seriously. I love you, Jensen, you know that. But ‘m still pretty freakin’ pissed and once you’re not actively bleeding, I owe you a serious beat-down.”  
  
Before Jensen can reply, Chris comes jogging out of the building and jumps into the backseat of the car. Jared crosses around to the driver’s side, glancing in the rearview mirror at Chris as he starts the engine and takes off. “It done?”  
  
“Yeah,” Chris sighs. “Bodies are all inside and burned. Whole place’ll catch in a few minutes to cover our tracks. This far out, by the time it’s reported, the place’ll be nothin’ but a pile of ash.”   
  
Jared nods, his fingers curled around the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white and the muscle in his jaw is ticking. Jensen sighs and settles back against the seat, his eyes sliding closed.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Once they’re back at the house, Jared heads inside, momentarily ignoring both Chris and Jensen. He just… He just can’t right now. He needs to get his emotions under control before he even _tries_ to deal with Jensen. He heads downstairs to what the guys call the infirmary – which is really just a spare room in the basement where there are a few beds, the first aid shit and the good pain killers. Matt and Misha are both inside, neither looking too bad, just a little worse for wear like Jason and Chad said.   
  
Jared spends a few minutes checking with them to make sure they really are okay before heading back upstairs. Jensen’s nowhere to be seen but Chris meets him at the top of the stairs. “Not now,” Jared sighs, walking away before Chris can say anything else.   
  
The rest of the team is in the living room and Jared checks in with all of them, making sure they’re all okay as well. He’s mainly stalling for time, putting off the inevitable, but he knows right now that if he faces Jensen, it won’t end well.   
  
He has a quick drink with his guys before heading into the downstairs bathroom for a shower. He mostly just stands under the hot spray, his forehead leaning against the slick tile, water running down his back, and thinks. He’s not really pissed off that Jensen went behind his back, even though he promised he wouldn’t. Hell, Jared knows he would’ve done the exact same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. He’s not even pissed that Jensen went after Mark at all. The truth of the matter is, he’s pissed off because he was freaking scared and worried and for the first time in ten years, he was truly afraid that he was going to lose Jensen.   
  
Fear is not an emotion that Jared handles well, especially when it comes to Jensen. Most people wouldn’t believe that someone like him – someone so dark and uncaring and ruthless – could actually love but he does. He loves Jensen so much that it scares him and the thought of ever losing him is more than Jared can handle.   
  
He stays in the shower until the water runs cold, barely noticing the change in temperature until he starts shivering. The house is silent when he gets out of the bathroom; the rest of the guys either gone to bed or out for a night of partying.   
  
Knowing he can’t put it off anymore, Jared climbs the stairs to their bedroom, not at all surprised to find a freshly showered and self-treated Jensen waiting for him.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen looks up when the door opens, forcing himself to remain sitting on the foot of their bed instead of getting up and crossing the room like he so desperately wants to.   
  
Jared stands in the middle of the room for a moment, wearing nothing but a towel slung low around the sinfully amazing cut of his hipbones, water still glistening on his broad chest and shoulders, little rivulets running down his perfect six-pack abs. Jensen’s mouth waters, wanting to chase those tiny drops with his lips and tongue.   
  
To his surprise, after a moment of simply standing there silently watching Jensen, Jared drops the towel to the floor, his arms hanging loose at his sides. He shakes his still shower-damp hair out of his face and tilts his chin up, waiting.   
  
Jensen licks his lips and stands up, moving slowly across the room, stopping right in front of Jared, close enough to feel the warmth pouring off his mate but not close enough to touch. “You still mad at me?” Jensen asks softly.  
  
Jared sighs and shakes his head. “Not really. I am still pissed but ‘m not mad at you. More mad at myself for my reaction to all this.”  
  
Since he’s close enough that Jared could hit him if he wanted to, but hasn’t, Jensen takes the chance and closes the rest of the distance between them. He slides one arm around Jared’s lean waist, his other sliding up Jared’s chest. “What’d’ya mean?” he urges.  
  
“I… I went crazy,” Jared admits. “All I could think about was the fact that he had you and I was so afraid of losin’ you. Chris had to talk me down before I let everything spill. I let my emotions control me, Jen. And that’s not me, you know that.”  
  
Jensen leans up and presses a soft kiss to the side of Jared’s lips. “I know,” he sighs. “But, it’s understandable. When JD’s guys had you…” Jensen trails off, shaking his head. “Let’s just say I was the same.”  
  
“I don’t like it, Jensen. When I needed to keep my head the most, I couldn’t. I was blinded by my fuckin’ biology.”  
  
“No,” Jensen murmurs. “You weren’t. It has nothin’ to do with being Alpha or omega. It’s about the fact that the person you love is in danger. I went through it too.”  
  
Jared sighs and drops his head forward, his forehead pressing against Jensen’s. “Don’t do that to me again, okay?” he whispers.  
  
“I won’t,” Jensen promises.  
  
“Were you lyin’ about how bad you’re hurt?”   
  
“No, why? Gonna gimme that beat-down you owe me?” Jensen smirks.  
  
“Not tonight,” Jared murmurs. “Maybe tomorrow. Tonight, I was hopin’ that you’d be up’ta fuckin’ me.”  
  
Jensen pulls Jared closer, rolling his hips forward, pressing his mostly-hard cock against Jared’s thigh. “Baby, I could be half-dead and I’d be up’ta fuckin’ you.”  
  
“Then what the hell’re you waitin’ on?” Jared growls, nipping at Jensen’s bottom lip.  
  
Jensen groans and reaches up, grabbing Jared’s hair with both hands, tightening his fingers into fists just this side of painful, just how Jared likes. His mate pulls against the hold, moaning softly. “Get on the bed,” Jensen commands, his lips pressing against Jared’s in a mockery of a kiss, the words smeared between them.  
  
“Yes, Alpha,” Jared breathes.   
  
Jensen lets go of Jared’s hair and steps back, watching as his mate saunters toward their bed, his hips swaying. Jensen smirks as he pushes his jeans and boxer briefs down and off, ripping his t-shirt up over his head.  
  
He stands at the foot of the bed, loosely fisting his own cock, his head tilted to the side. Jared settles on his back, his legs spread open in obvious invitation. “Hands and knees, baby,” Jensen drawls. “Gonna taste that sweet, tight ass ‘fore I fuck it.”  
  
Jared moans harshly, his eyes slamming closed, his back arching off the mattress. After a moment, Jared flips over, spreading his knees wide, his forearms pressing into the mattress. Jensen can see the thick pulses of Jared’s slick, the clear fluid sliding down over his balls, wetting the very tops of his thighs. Jared squirms slightly, practically wagging his ass at Jensen and he can’t wait any longer himself.  
  
Crawling up onto the mattress between Jared’s legs, Jensen grabs the perfect, round globes of Jared’s ass, kneading the muscular flesh, pulling them apart. His thumbs slide inward, catching Jared’s wet rim and he pulls, stretching Jared’s sensitive entrance. Jared inhales sharply and arches his back, pushing his ass up even higher. “Jensen,” he moans.  
  
Jensen tugs a little harder on the furled muscle, loving the reaction he gets from the slight burn of the stretch. Jared mewls happily, wiggling his ass around. Jensen smirks at his impatient mate but decides that he’s done teasing, eager to get on with things as well. Without warning, he leans forward and thrusts his tongue inside Jared’s stretched-open rim as far as he can. Jared cries out, his upper body collapsing against the mattress, his thighs trembling.   
  
Jensen curls his tongue inside Jared, lapping at his inner walls as he pulls away, then sets about licking and sucking and nipping, burying his face as far as he can between Jared’s ass cheeks. Jared’s nearly incoherent beneath him, writhing and arching his back, clawing at the sheets, a litany of broken moans and breathy little whimpers pouring from him nearly nonstop.   
  
Jensen kind of loses track of how long he spends teasing both Jared and himself, lost in the beautiful noises coming from Jared and the sweet, spun-sugar taste of his slick. Eventually, Jared pushes himself up, balancing on one elbow, reaching back toward Jensen. “Please,” Jared gasps. “Fuck… Please, Jen. C’mon.”  
  
Jensen finally pulls away, absently wiping at his chin with the back of his hand. Jared scrambles onto his knees and turns around, both huge, strong hands grabbing Jensen’s face and pulling him into a sloppy-wet kiss. “Please,” Jared whispers again into the slide of lips and tongues.  
  
Jensen wraps his arms around Jared’s waist and somehow maneuvers them around until he’s leaning back against the headboard, Jared straddling his hips – all without breaking the kiss. Jared pulls away with a gasp of breath, his broad chest heaving. They lock eyes as Jared reaches behind himself, blindly lining Jensen up with his dripping entrance, sinking down easily until Jensen’s buried to the hilt. Jensen’s hands slide up Jared’s sides, unable to tear his gaze away from Jared, his eyes moving almost restlessly over features as familiar as his own; tip-tilted, lust-dark eyes and slick, kiss-bruised lips softly parted with every panted breath and the flush of arousal turning Jared’s high cheekbones a pretty shade of pink. “Beautiful,” Jensen breathes, not even really aware that he spoke until he hears his own voice.  
  
Jared – cheeky fucker that he is – smirks and brings one slightly shaky hand up, his palm cupping Jensen’s cheek. “Not so bad yourself, babe,” he drawls.  
  
“Brat,” Jensen mutters playfully, his hands once again curling around Jared’s waist, fingertips digging into warm, baby-soft flesh over rippling muscle. With just a slight tug of Jensen’s hands, Jared instinctively picks up a slow, steady rhythm, mainly just rolling his hips, heat and mischief in those mesmerizing fucking eyes.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared closes his eyes for a moment, letting himself get lost in the familiar feeling of Jensen inside him, the feeling of Jensen’s chest beneath his palms, of Jensen’s heartbeat against his fingertips. He’s never been melodramatic or one to get stuck on ‘what might have been’ but he can’t help but take a moment to let himself revel in the fact that Jensen is okay and still with him.   
  
Ever in tune with his emotions, Jensen’s hands slide up his sides, pulling him completely against Jensen’s chest, their lips meeting in a soft, chaste kiss. With a growl, Jared pulls away, mentally shaking off the dark thoughts and feelings. This isn’t him. He’s not some overly sensitive, simpering omega; even when it comes to Jensen.  
  
“’s okay,” Jensen says softly.  
  
“Shut up,” Jared growls, picking up the pace of his hips, riding Jensen hard and wild.  
  
“Sweetheart…”  
  
“No, Jensen. Shut up,” Jared repeats, digging his fingers into Jensen’s shoulders hard enough to bruise. “Just shut up and fuck me.”  
  
Jensen sighs and sits up, wrapping his arms around Jared’s waist. In a move that honestly shocks the hell out of Jared – even though it shouldn’t, Jensen’s a strong motherfucker – Jensen tips them forward, spreading Jared out on his back. Jared blinks up at Jensen, stunned silent for a moment, as Jensen starts to move, slow and gentle – gentler than they’ve ever been. “Stop it,” Jared grits out, wrapping his legs around Jensen’s waist, his heel digging into Jensen’s ass, trying to flip them over again.   
  
“Shh,” Jensen whispers, dropping down so that their chests are pressed together, his forearms bracketing Jared’s head. He slides one hand into Jared’s hair, using the hold to keep his head still. “You don’t always have to do this, ya know?”  
  
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about.”  
  
“Pretend that you don’t have emotions,” Jensen explains softly. “’specially with me. I have emotions, does that make me less in your eyes?”  
  
“Really?” Jared scoffs, one eyebrow raised. “You wanna have this conversation _now_?” he asks, pointedly tightening his inner muscles.  
  
Jensen’s jaw clenches and the slow roll of his hips stutters a bit before evening out again. “If we need to, then yes. If you’re horny or pissed off, you have no problem showing that. But if you’re scared or upset, you think it makes you less somehow. You don’t have to pretend with me, Jared.”  
  
Despite his best efforts, tears sting at the corners of Jared’s eyes – which just manages to piss him off even more. He’s worked so hard over the last sixteen years to be the embodiment of a strong, stoic Alpha and a few words from Jensen threaten to crumble that down around him. “Stop it,” Jared pleads softly. “Please, Jen.”  
  
“Be real with me,” Jensen counters. “Tell me what you’re really feelin’.”  
  
“Right now, ‘m pissed,” Jared warns.   
  
“At me or at yourself?”  
  
“Goddamn it, Jensen,” Jared growls. “Get the fuck offa me. I just wanted to get fucked, if you can’t do that, I’ll take care’a it my damn self.” When Jensen doesn’t move, Jared growls again and pulls his hips back – trying to ignore how much he hates that empty feeling that follows – and pushes Jensen off.   
  
He gets up and stalks across the room, intending to grab something to wear out of the dresser but he doesn’t make it that far. A heavy weight hits him from behind, slamming him into the wall. Jensen leans against his back, one arm around his waist, the other hand buried in his hair, pulling his head back almost painfully. Despite everything, Jared’s cock twitches, fresh slick pulsing from his hole.   
  
“You don’t get to do that,” Jensen whispers darkly, biting down hard enough to bruise on his neck. Jensen never marks him where someone can see and a secret thrill runs down Jared’s spine. Part of him will always want to be able to actually be Jensen’s in public, to let the world know that this beautiful, powerful man is his mate.   
  
“Jensen,” Jared warns, pushing back, trying to get away from the wall. But Jensen counters, pushing him forward more.  
  
“No. Stay the fuck still and listen to me,” Jensen grits out. “I love you, Jared. You know that I do. And I’ll love you no matter what. But you’re wrong about this. You think playing Alpha means that you have to cut off every emotion other than anger or lust. It doesn’t. I was afraid when JD’s guys had you, when I saw what they were tryin’ to do to you. And I was afraid of letting you face Mark.” He pauses, tightening his arm around Jared’s waist. “’s okay, baby. It really is.”  
  
Jared snarls, fighting back against Jensen, momentarily not caring that his mate was just in a fight and held hostage. Jensen grunts, taking the brunt of Jared’s misplaced anger until Jared’s breathing heavy, his emotions burning bright. He doesn’t realize he’s screaming – and crying – until Jensen drags him to the floor of their bedroom and pulls him into his arms, wiping away the tears coursing down his cheeks.   
  
“You son of a bitch,” Jared whispers hoarsely, burying his face against Jensen’s neck. “You… You could’a died. You could’a left me here alone! What… What would I do then, huh? You fuckin’ promised me, asshole. You promised…”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
“Shh,” Jensen whispers, cradling his trembling, crying mate in his arms. “I know. And ‘m sorry, love. I really am.  I was tryin’ to protect you.”  
  
“Don’t need protectin’,” Jared mutters petulantly.   
  
“Sometimes we all need protecting, Jay.” He pauses, pressing his lips to the top of Jared’s head, nosing through his still shower-damp hair. “And that’s okay. Needing help, feeling things, that doesn’t make you weak,” Jared scoffs, shaking his head, “Do you think ‘m weak, Jared?”  
  
“No,” Jared mutters, tucking his face more against Jensen’s neck.   
  
“Then why’s it okay for me and not for you?”  
  
“’cause… Fuck, Jensen, you know why,” Jared snaps, pulling away enough to glare up at Jensen. “I show emotions or am anything less than the hardass I’ve been for the last twelve years and I could lose _everything_. No one wants to follow a bitch.”  
  
“You’re not a bitch, sweetheart. Furthest thing from it, in fact. And ‘m not askin’ you to show any of this in front of the guys. Just… Be real with me, okay? That’s all ‘m askin’.”  
  
“I… I don’t know how’ta do this, Jensen,” Jared admits softly. “For the first time in ten fuckin’ years, I faced the possibility of losin’ you. Everything else we’ve been through, I just knew you’d be okay. I didn’t this time. And it scared me.”  
  
“Scared me too,” Jensen admits with a shrug. “And that’s okay.”  
  
“No it’s not!” Jared yells, pushing himself up off the floor, his massive frame still trembling. “You… When the shoe was on the other foot and I went after JD, you were so pissed at me for putting myself in that position. Fuck, I got punished for it! But it’s okay for you? Because you’re the fuckin’ Alpha here? Fuck that!”  
  
Jensen’s not at all prepared for the punch. When he was holding Jared against the wall and he was struggling, his hits didn’t have much power behind them. That’s not the case this time. Jared punches him with his full weight, snapping Jensen’s head to the side. Inhaling deeply, he pushes down his natural reaction to tackle Jared to the ground and fight this out. Jared snarls when he sees that Jensen isn’t fighting back. “C’mon! Fight back, you fucker.”  
  
“No,” Jensen says simply.  
  
Jared tackles him back onto the thick carpet, snarling and punching. He’s not putting the strength that Jensen knows he possess into the hits, merely just lashing out more than anything, trying not to face the emotions that are so close to the surface. He tires out quickly, shoulders slumped, his chest heaving, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t lose you,” he whispers brokenly, collapsing against Jensen’s chest.   
  
Jensen closes his own stinging eyes and holds Jared tight. “I know, baby. Me too,” he whispers. He holds Jared until the trembling has mostly stopped and Jared sniffles softly, pulling away and standing up. His back is to Jensen, shoulders still drooping, and Jensen’s never seen Jared look so small. With a sigh he stands up as well, his ribs protesting a little when he pulls Jared into his arms, his chest pressed against his back. “I love you.”  
  
Jared sniffles again and nods. “Love you too.”  
  
He gently pulls Jared back toward their bed and pushes him down, crawling up between his legs. Despite the emotional outburst and the fighting, they’re both still more than half-hard. Jensen presses a kiss to Jared’s lips, tasting the salt from his tears and the coppery tang of blood. Jared kisses him back, wrapping both arms around Jensen’s shoulders, moaning softly when Jensen licks across his bottom lip. Their tongues tangle together, slow and wet, and Jensen grinds his hips down. Jared gasps into the slide of their lips and tongues, arching up slightly, his hips raising up off the mattress.   
  
“Still want me?” Jensen asks into the kiss.  
  
“Always,” Jared whispers.  
  
Jensen hums in agreement and reaches between them, blindly lining his once again fully hard cock up, sliding slowly inside Jared’s tight, wet heat. Jared gasps, his lips parted softly, still shiny-wet hazel eyes staring up at Jensen. He picks up a rhythm right away – not nearly as fast or hard as usual but not slow and careful like a few minutes ago – his hand sliding down Jared’s leg, fingers curling under his knee, hitching his leg up a little higher.  
  
Jared clings to Jensen as much as he can, long arms and legs wrapping around him. He doesn’t have a lot of room to thrust this way, settles mostly for grinding forward, hips angled to rub his cock-head against Jared’s prostate. He can feel Jared’s blood-thick length between their stomachs, twitching and leaking and rubbing against his abs with every rock of his hips.   
  
“Jensen,” Jared moans, soft and breathy, his breath hitching in his chest.  
  
“’s okay,” Jensen whispers. “I know. C’mon, do it.”  
  
Jared cries out softly, his mostly untouched cock pulsing and jerking, the miniscule space between them flooding with Jared’s warm, sticky release. Jensen dips down, sliding their lips together, working Jared through it as best as he can even as his knot swells.   
  
Jared pulls away with a gasp, his legs tightening around Jensen’s hips, urging him deeper. Jensen moans harshly when his knot catches completely, the first wave of his orgasm hitting before Jared even stops trembling through his own.   
  
Jared’s eyes slide closed and he inhales deeply, finally loosening the near death-grip his limbs have around Jensen, arms and legs flopping bonelessly to the mattress. Jensen gently lowers himself completely, keeping most of his weight on his knees and forearms. He smiles when Jared reopens his eyes and looks up at him.   
  
“You okay?” Jensen asks softly, idly twirling one of the wavy strands of Jared’s hair around his fingers.   
  
“Yeah,” Jared sighs, bringing one hand up, long fingers stroking softly over the nape of Jensen’s neck. “I… Jen, ‘m sorry.”  
  
“Shh, hey. You’re fine. No need’ta apologize.”  
  
“No, I do.” Jared sighs, his eyes dropping down to Jensen’s chest. “I… I got angry at you for all the wrong reasons, because I felt weak. And for that ‘m sorry. And ‘m also sorry for actin’ the way that I did. I just… I don’t handle things, emotions and shit, well when it’s you.”  
  
Jensen uses his other hand to gently tip Jared’s head back, forcing his mate to look at him again. “Look,” he sighs. “I… I think we both know that I like the fact that you’re a badass, okay?” he smiles when Jared chuckles softly, “But I also want you to feel like you can show other emotions with me as well, okay? If you’re sad or scared or upset… That’s part of what ‘m here for, love. We get through these things together. And it doesn’t make you weak,” Jensen adds pointedly.  
  
“Okay,” Jared says softly, leaning up to press a brief kiss to Jensen’s lips. “I… I’ll try to be better about it, alright. Just… No more stupid shit like you pulled tonight. I can’t take that, Jen.”  
  
“Deal.”   
  
They settle into a comfortable silence for a few moments before Jared runs one hand down Jensen’s back, lightly running his short, blunt fingernails down the sensitive flesh. “Hey, Jen?”  
  
“Hmm?” Jensen hums in response.  
  
“We should take a vacation.”  
  
Jensen chuckles and pulls back enough to look down at his mate. “Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah,” Jared says around a smile. “It’s gonna be another five months ‘til my heat. And I don’t wanna wait that long. We should just get away for a while. Let Christian run things while we lay out on a beach somewhere in Europe.”  
  
“Sounds fuckin’ perfect, sweetheart. We’ll leave as soon as my ribs heal.”  
  
“Your ribs… Jensen!”


	6. Unfinished Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared gets a chance to finally take care of a last piece of unfinished business and finally confronts issues that have been building for years. Final fic in the Collide ‘verse, set four years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted on 3/12/16 on livejournal under ghost_writer26. Un-beta'd.

**Chapter Warnings:**  A/B/O, omega!Jared, Alpha!Jensen, bottom!Jared, sub!Jared, Dom!Jensen, BDSM (light), knotting, male self-lubrication, violence, minor character death (not the J’s), BAMF!Jared, BAMF!Jensen, face-fucking, rimming, rough sex, coming untouched, homophobic slurs.   
  
  
  
“’s been twenty years,” Jared says absently, in response to absolutely nothing.  
  
“Hm?” Jensen hums in question, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to Jared’s bare shoulder.  
  
His mate sighs and snuggles back further into Jensen’s embrace, his fingers sliding over the arm Jensen has wrapped around his waist. “’s been twenty years since I left home.”  
  
Technically, Jensen knows that. He just doesn’t ever really think about it and Jared sure as shit never mentions it. And honestly, Jensen doesn’t know why he is now. Before he can ask though, Jared keeps going, his voice soft and faraway sounding.   
  
“I don’t know why I didn’t kill him. Or let Chris do it right after like he wanted to. Or why I haven’t in the years since. I guess ‘s just… At the time there was so much else going on, ya know? Too much other shit to deal with besides petty revenge on some asshole that I’d never see again.”   
  
Even though Jared loves his life and the empire they’ve built, Jensen knows that he blames it all on his father. And he’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t wondered himself sometimes how Jared would have turned out if he had a stable, loving family that supported him as an omega instead of an alcoholic father that beat him almost to death because he wasn’t an Alpha.   
  
Jared snorts out a laugh, shaking his head and interrupting Jensen’s thoughts. “Listen at me, gettin’ all melancholy and morose and shit. Guess with my birthday comin’ up… I don’t know, gettin’ old has turned me into a whiny ass.”  
  
“Thirty-four is hardly old, Jared,” Jensen remarks dryly.   
  
“Maybe not for _you_ ,” Jared counters cheekily. “’cause no matter what, I’ll always be younger’n you. But I mean… ‘m not the twenty-year-old that you first mated either.”  
  
Jensen nuzzles through the hair at the back of Jared’s head. “True,” he whispers. “You’re even more gorgeous and I love you even more.”  
  
“Oh my God, you’re such a fuckin’ sap!” Jared cries out around a bright, booming laugh.   
  
Honestly, when Jared laughs like that, Jensen’s okay with being a sap.  
  
*  
  
“I need a favor.”  
  
Christian looks up at Jensen when he plops down on the sofa next to him, one eyebrow raised. “For?”  
  
“Jared’s birthday,” Jensen sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I haven’t been sure what to get him. And ‘m really not even sure if this idea is all that great.”  
  
“What’d’ya have in mind?”  
  
“Are Jared’s parents still alive? Or at least his dad?”  
  
“Far as I know, yeah,” Chris answers, frowning slightly, his brow furrowed. “Why?  
  
“Jared brought it up last night, out of the blue. Or well, brought up that it’s been twenty years since he left home. I think ‘s unfinished business for him.”  
  
Jensen doesn’t know everything that happened back then, especially not on the night when Jared ran away but he knows enough to draw a pretty good conclusion in his own mind. He’s never asked Jared, doesn’t really need to and Jared wouldn’t tell him anyway, even if he did.   
  
“Could be,” Chris drawls. “I can check it out for ya.”  
  
Jensen nods, shooting Chris a grateful smile. “Hey, uh, I know that we’ve never really talked ‘bout it and I never asked Jay either,” Jensen mutters, “But that night he met you, what’d he tell you?”  
  
“You know this story already,” Chris counters.   
  
“No, I mean, I know that he told you what happened but since you didn’t find out the truth ‘bout him until he was thirty, what’d he tell you back then?”  
  
Chris nods and runs one hand through his hair. “Just told me that his dad beat the hell outta him. Wasn’t the first time from what he said. But this one was worse. Almost killed him. When I asked why, he just said it was ‘cause he didn’t turn out like his old man wanted.” Chris pauses, shaking his head. “Honestly, man, the kid was so upset and scared, half-starved and freezin’ to death, I didn’t really push for a lot of details, ya know? I felt for him. My old man wasn’t that great either, ‘s why I ended up with JD too. Maybe it wasn’t the best place for me to take a kid but I couldn’t see him on the streets or back with his dick of a father either.”  
  
Jensen smiles and pushes himself to his feet, clapping Chris on the back. Whether or not it was the right thing – taking a fourteen-year-old into JD’s world – at least he saved Jared’s life back then. “Thanks, Kane.”  
  
Chris merely grunts in response and digs his phone out of his pocket, already working on Jensen’s request.  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared huffs a sigh and glares at his mate. “You want me to _what_?”  
  
Jensen smiles that bright, beautiful smile that he reserves solely for Jared and pulls him close, wrapping his arms around his waist. “I want you to put the damn blindfold on and let me take you downstairs,” Jensen explains, again, for the third time. Jared heard him the first two, he’s just not so sure he really understands. Sure, the words make sense individually but he’s still not getting the picture.  
  
“But _why_?” Jared demands.   
  
“’s a fuckin’ surprise, Jared,” Jensen growls, obviously getting irritated.   
  
“I don’t like surprises, Jensen,” Jared growls back.  
  
“’s a gift,” Jensen sing-songs, his mood changing quicker than Jared’s normally do. “And I know for a fact that you like those.”  
  
Jared hums thoughtfully in the back of his throat but still eyes Jensen warily as he holds out the blindfold. Oh, he has no problem at all letting his mate blindfold him but it has to be under the right circumstances. And heading down into the basement, to one of the rarely-used training rooms? Not the right circumstance _at all_.   
  
“Just… Tell me,” Jared commands.   
  
Jensen raises one eyebrow, his eyes glittering like emerald fire. He steps closer to Jared, two fingers hooking into one of his belt loops. “Just ‘cause we’re down here,” Jensen starts, tone deceptively low and calm, “Don’t forget your place.”  
  
Jared narrows his eyes, bristling at the comment. Jensen usually doesn’t make him feel like _less_ , like the omega that he was cursed to be – unless they’re playing and Jared _wants_ him to – and even though he’ll never admit it, the comment stings. The last four years haven’t been easy, Jared’s been dealing a lot of crap all by himself, trying his best to hide it from Jensen and to hear him make a comment like that twists Jared’s heart and stomach.  
  
“Fuck you and your gift,” Jared growls, turning on his heel to stalk away. But Jensen still has a hold of his jeans and stops Jared short. “Lemme go, Jensen,” he grits out.   
  
They’re alone down here and Jensen takes advantage, pressing up against Jared’s back, free hand sliding up his chest, fingers curling around his neck, just tight enough to mimic his collar. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” Jensen growls against his ear, tightening his hold just enough to make Jared gasp.   
  
Jared’s traitorous cock twitches and he can feel a pulse of slick leak out from his hole. The small bite of pain turns him on, the knowledge that Jensen could easily snap his neck, or choke him, but _won’t_ , makes him crazy. And more and more over the years, he’s started hating himself for it. Even started resenting Jensen.  
  
Of course Jensen scents it, his nose nuzzling through the back of Jared’s hair. “Please, baby,” Jensen murmurs. “I went out and got this, just for you.”  
  
Jared sighs softly, the tension flowing from his frame. “Yes, Alpha,” he breathes. Despite the mess in his head, he still loves Jensen, even if there are times he wishes that he didn’t. And he can’t resist him like he wishes he could.  
  
“That’s my good boy,” Jensen praises and Jared kind of hates himself even more for the warm, gooey feeling that spreads through his stomach and chest. He’d sort of made peace with himself, his biology, and his relationship with Jensen the first ten years of their relationship, but the last four years he’s been tail-spinning. He hates being weak, feeling like he’s being dictated by his biology. And instead of getting better, like it had been, it’s been getting worse ever since he faced off against JD, his crew and Mark.   
  
Jared pushes everything aside like he’s been doing more and more and closes his eyes when Jensen slips the blindfold on, even though he really doesn’t need to. It’s the sturdy, dark one they use when they’re playing and there’s no way in hell that he can see anything anyway.   
  
Jensen leads him through a door where he can hear the muffled sounds of a struggle and someone trying to talk – or yell – around a gag. The smell hits him next, a familiar scent that he hasn’t smelled in twenty years but never managed to forget – whiskey mixed with acrid sweat and the sharp spice of alpha.   
  
His father.   
  
“Jensen,” Jared growls, reaching up to rip the blindfold off. Sure enough, there’s his father, tied between two posts cemented into the ground, arms and legs stretched wide, a thick gag in his mouth. His eyes are still as dark and cold as ever – especially when he sees Jared – but he’s older and Jared’s bigger now and he doesn’t look like the overwhelming, imposing presence that beat Jared every chance he got when he didn’t pop a knot at twelve like his brother.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen watches Jared carefully. For all that he knows his mate, he can’t quite read the expression on his face right now. He looks thoughtful, a little scared, and a lot angry. Those thunderous hazel eyes snap to him and Jensen inhales sharply. This is _so_ not the time to think how sexy Jared looks when he’s homicidal like this.   
  
“What the hell did you do?” Jared grits out.   
  
Jensen shrugs one shoulder and gestures toward Jared’s still-bound father. “Happy birthday, Jay.” He pauses, inhales deeply, exhales slowly. “I got to thinkin’ after you brought it up the other night. Thought this might be one last piece of unfinished business for you.” He doesn’t bother mentioning JD or Pellegrino. He doesn’t have to. Jared knows what he means.   
  
“So you…” Jared trails off, licking his lips as he looks between his father and Jensen. “You did this, for me? For my birthday?”  
  
“Well, yeah,” Jensen shrugs. “What’d’ya get the man who already has everything?”  
  
Jared bursts out laughing, the most wonderful sound in Jensen’s world outside Jared moaning his name so sweet and submissive.   
  
“Fuck, babe,” Jared chuckles, shaking his head. “Best present ever. Seriously, Jen. ‘s fuckin’ awesome.”  
  
Jensen grins and leans against Jared’s side, smirking when Jared’s father’s eyes widen, a look of sheer disgust filling the dull hazel depths. They must have the same idea at the same time because Jared tilts his head to the side, baring his neck for his Alpha and Gerald growls behind his gag, tugging uselessly at the ropes that Jensen tied himself.   
  
Jared turns his head enough to press a kiss to Jensen’s lips, mischief and murder in those ever-changing hazel eyes. Jensen smirks and leans back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watches his mate cross the room, standing tall and broad and unafraid and fucking _beautiful_ before the man who tortured him for years even after he ran.   
  
Jared tilts his head to the side, studying the man before him thoughtfully. “You don’t look so scary now,” he says, calm and conversational. “Though, that could be ‘cause I ain’t a scared, confused fourteen-year-old kid anymore.”  
  
Gerald mutters something behind the gag and Jared chuckles. “Oh, sorry, where _are_ my manners?” He reaches out and rips the cloth out of his mouth, tossing it to the floor. “There, that’s better. Something you wanted to say, _Dad_?”  
  
“You filthy omega whore,” Gerry grits out, glaring at Jared. “Untie me, knot-slut.”  
  
“Hm,” Jared hums, glancing at Jensen over his shoulder. Jensen shrugs. “Nah,” Jared smirks as he turns back around. “Don’t think I’ll do that. Not yet anyway.”  
  
“You still scared, bitch?” Gerry taunts. “Need’ta keep me tied up ‘cause you know you’ll get your ass beat again?”  
  
“Not even a little,” Jared answers confidently and Jensen grins. “I’ll untie you, when I’m damn good and ready. And then, I’ll rip out your throat and shove it up your ass.”  
  
Gerry throws his head back and laughs. “You think you can beat me?” he asks incredulously. “I whooped your ass before, pup. I’ll do it again.”  
  
“Like I said, I ain’t that kid anymore. I’m stronger, tougher, meaner than you _ever_ were. I’ve taken down men three times better and bigger than you without breaking a sweat. Believe me, ‘m not even remotely worried about a piece of shit like you.” Jared licks his lips and leans closer, snarling mad. “But I just thought that you’d like to know, before you die, that you were wrong about me. I’m not a whore, I’ve only ever been with my mate. But you are right about one thing. ‘m sure as shit a slut for his knot.”  
  
“Filthy fuckin’ fag,” Gerry growls. “Should’a killed you and your worthless mother when I found out she was pregnant with you. I already had my Alpha son.”  
  
Jared snorts out a laugh and shakes his head. “Yeah, and how is good ol’ Jeff?” He pauses, fake sincerity dripping from his tone. “That’s right, I forgot. He ate a bullet right after I ran.”  
  
Gerry jerks in his bonds, trying to lunge for Jared. “You bitch!” he roars. “Don’t you talk about my son like that! I’ll kill you.”  
  
“Do you know why he did it?” Jared asks, a dark smile curling up his lips. “’cause’a what you did to me. My brother loved me, protected me as best as he could. He figured out I was an omega even before I did and he knew that you were a piece of shit. He thought that you killed me so he killed himself. That’s all on you, _Dad_.”  
  
Jensen tilts his head to the side, watching avidly. He never knew this part of the story. Jared never talks about his brother and now, Jensen understands why.   
  
Gerry snarls again, tugging uselessly on his bonds, unknowingly just making them tighter. Jared learned to slip those knots within their first week together.   
  
Jared sighs, bored, and turns toward Jensen. “This isn’t very much fun,” he whines, petulant and adorable.  
  
Jensen smirks and pushes off the wall, crossing the short distance between them. He slides his hands down Jared’s back, cups both cheeks of his ass, kneading the firm muscle. “So make it fun,” he answers simply.   
  
Jared’s eyes glitter in the harsh, florescent light. “Anything particular in mind, Alpha?” he practically purrs and Jensen has to bite the inside of his jaw to keep from laughing, especially when Gerry growls in disgust from behind them. He knows without a doubt that Jared’s playing it up, just like he did with JD before Jared sliced him into ribbons.   
  
“Your birthday, your show, love.”  
  
Jared licks his lips, dipping down to press a quick, brutal kiss to Jensen’s lips. Jensen moans softly, tugging Jared closer by the hold he has on his ass. “Either way, whatever you decide, do it quickly. This is only the first part of your gift.”  
  
“What’s the rest?” Jared whispers, nuzzling under his jaw.  
  
“House is empty, sweetheart,” Jensen drawls. “Figure it’s been a while since we played properly.” Jared eyes darken and the spun-sugar scent of his arousal thickens, filling the air between them. “You wet for me already, darlin’?”  
  
Jared moans and drops to his knees, his face pressing against Jensen’s crotch, his revenge on his father obviously momentarily forgotten. “Alpha,” he breathes. Jensen cups the back of his head, forcefully tearing his eyes away from Jared to glance up at Gerald. The older alpha is staring at Jared, disgust clear as day in his eyes but Jensen can swear he sees a hint of lust there as well. It doesn’t really surprise him. After disowning Jared, nearly beating him to death, hell even before than that, Gerald never really saw Jared as a son. To him, he’s merely an omega. And he may be disgusted by it, but it still turns him on.   
  
Jensen snarls softly, his hand curling into a fist in Jared’s hair. Gerald’s eyes snap up to Jensen’s, wide and terrified. Good.   
  
“My beautiful mate,” Jensen murmurs, petting Jared’s hair. It’s meant for both father and son, praise for Jared and a reminder for Gerald.   
  
Jared pulls away enough to look up at him and for a moment, Jensen loses the plot himself. He’s always had a weakness for Jared on his knees like this, staring up at him, so sweet and beautifully submissive. “Master,” Jared moans, tilting his head back, showing off his neck, silently begging for his collar.   
  
Jensen slides his fingers over the tan, sweat-slick flesh. “Once we’re done here, sweetheart,” he promises.   
  
He watches as Jared inhales deeply to get a hold of himself. He smiles when Jared gracefully rises to his feet again and just hopes like hell that Jared doesn’t notice the same thing in Gerry’s eyes that he did. That’s really the last thing Jared needs on top of everything else.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Once Jared feels a bit more in control of himself, he turns back to his father. There’s a part of him that would love nothing more than to draw this out, to slice and torture while he’s still bound, to watch him bleed out slowly. But to prove to the old man – and a bit to himself – that he’s definitely not that same kid, he knows that’s not the way this is going to go.   
  
He stalks forward, reaching back to grab the knife out of his belt, and with four quick flicks of his wrist, cuts through the thick rope tying all four of his father’s limbs. The old man is disoriented for a moment and Jared waits, for the first time _ever_ needing to make sure that this is nothing but a clean fight.   
  
His father lunges forward, aiming for Jared’s neck but the years haven’t been kind to the old man and Jared’s definitely bigger and stronger now. In the end, it’s over pathetically quick and easy. Jared didn’t even break a sweat. One simple twist of his hands and his father falls to his feet, dead.  
  
Surprisingly, Jared feels nothing. No sense of peace or accomplishment, nothing. All this time, he thought he hated his biology because of his father and if he got the chance, killing him would make it better. It doesn’t. He still hates that he’s an omega, still hates that he’s a slave to his nature, his own body. When Jensen steps up behind him and wraps his arms around Jared’s waist, his broad chest pressing against Jared’s back, he still doesn’t find that peace he has been looking for.   
  
For the longest time, knowing that he got Jensen out of the deal made it easier to deal with everything but that hasn’t been the case for longer than he wants to admit.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen nuzzles into the long hair hanging down over the back of Jared’s neck, inhaling deeply to catch the sweet omega scent. Jared’s oddly still in his embrace, especially considering what just happened, what is still to come. His body is pliant but tense, his breathing slow and deep, controlled, but his heart is beating jackrabbit fast. Jared’s always been a mess of contradictions and that’s honestly one of the reasons Jensen loves him so Goddamn much but in all their years together, he doesn’t ever remember seeing – or feeling – Jared like this, especially after a kill, a kill so deeply personal.   
  
After a few silent, tense moments, Jared pulls away from Jensen, barely turning to the side, not looking at Jensen, his gaze still lowered to the ground, to his father’s dead body. Jensen can just see Jared’s profile, the complete lack of emotion – any emotion – and it honestly scares the fuck out of him. Not much scares Jensen but if something does, it inevitably always has something to do with Jared.   
  
“Jay?” he asks, soft, tentative like he’s never really had to be with Jared, unsure in a way Jensen _never_ is, with any situation.   
  
“Thought I’d feel different,” Jared eventually says, tone even and devoid of emotion. He glances at Jensen then, his eyes just as hollow as his voice. “But I don’t.”  
  
“Jared,” Jensen sighs, reaching one hand out, barely brushing Jared’s arm but Jared leans away from him, not completely shutting him out but not ready to completely let him in either.   
  
To his surprise, Jared drops to his knees, his arms behind his back, his chin tilted up. It’s that same silent request as before, the request for his collar, his Master. But unlike when he fell to his knees a few minutes ago, his eyes are closed and Jensen knows that he’s nowhere near being in the right headspace for this. They both may be fucked up six ways from Sunday but he refuses to use Jared’s submission, their _relationship_ , to hurt Jared. Or to let Jared hurt himself.  
  
“Jared,” Jensen says again, stronger, firmer.  
  
“C’mon,” Jared taunts. “I know you, Jensen. I know you have it with you.” He stops, his eyes fluttering open. “Do it.”  
  
“No, absolutely not. Not like this.”  
  
Jared rolls his eyes and shifts, his broad shoulders tensing and rolling beneath his shirt. “Not like this,” he repeats, narrows his eyes. “Not while ‘m on my fuckin’ knees… for _you_. Beggin’ you to put my _own_ fucking collar on?”  
  
“Not when I’m not sure where your head’s at,” Jensen counters.  
  
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Jensen,” Jared growls. “My head’s right where it usually is. Ready for you, achin’ to be fucked and knotted.”  
  
“No, that’s not even a little true.” Jensen drops to his knees in front of Jared, pulls his collar out of the back pocket of his jeans, shows it to Jared, then grabs both sides of Jared’s face. “Yeah, you do know me. But I also know _you_ and this isn’t about getting fucked or playing or even us for that matter. This is about you. This is about how you thought that this was gonna be some magic cure for what you _think_ is wrong with you.”  
  
“Well isn’t that why you did this, Jensen?” Jared growls. “Isn’t that why you brought him here? So that I could…” he trails off, his jaw clenching, his nostrils flaring.  
  
“No,” Jensen says softly. “I brought him here so you could do what you needed to do. And it has not a damn thing to do with being an omega.”  
  
“That’s all it has to do with!” Jared yells.  
  
“No. He was a piece of shit that hurt a kid, Jay. He deserved to be taken out. I didn’t bring him here to fix you. Because there’s nothing wrong with you that needs fixin’.”  
  
“Yes there is! I’m… ‘m _broken_ , Jensen. Have been for a long damn time. And I thought…” he stops himself again, his chin quivering slightly as he barely shakes his head, his lips twitching.  
  
“You thought what?” Jensen urges softly when he doesn’t continue.  
  
“I thought that I’d feel better about it,” Jared admits, voice cracking like it never does. “I thought that if I killed him, took back what he did to me, that it’d make it okay. But it… it _didn’t_. I still hate it, Jen.”  
  
“I know you do, baby,” Jensen damn-near whispers. “But I’ve been tryin’ to tell you for years that there’s nothing wrong with you.”  
  
Jared licks his lips and shakes his head again. “Then what’s the point?” he rasps, rare emotion thickening his throat. “If this wasn’t going to make me better, when even _you_ haven’t been able to make it better, what the fuck is the Goddamn point?”  
  
“Like I said, he was a piece of shit that was weak and took it out on a fuckin’ kid. He deserved to die and I wanted to give you the pleasure of doing it yourself.”  
  
“I wanted it to make a difference,” Jared whispers. “I wanted so badly for this… this weight to be gone from my shoulders. I… ‘m not stupid, Jensen. I see how much it affects you and I hate that I can’t just… be okay with it. I want to, God knows I do. I _want_ to give that to you. But I just… I can’t.”  
  
Jensen leans forward and presses a kiss to Jared’s lips. “You give me everything, sweetheart. I love you, just the way you are. I always have. I don’t _want_ you to change. I just want you to not beat yourself up about it so much. So what if you hate it? That’s okay. Just don’t… Don’t hate _yourself_ for it.”  
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jared swallows thickly and closes his eyes. Jensen makes it all sound so fucking simple. But even after all this time, he doesn’t truly realize just how fucking _broken_ Jared is inside. Even now, as angry and disgusted as he is – with himself, the entire situation, even with Jensen – his body reacts, his soul aching for his mate, his Alpha.  
  
“This was unfinished business, pure and simple,” Jensen continues after a few moments and Jared reopens his eyes. “Detach yourself from it. This was for fourteen-year-old Jared, for that kid that didn’t deserve the shit he got dealt.”   
  
“But what about me now? Yeah, I got revenge for that fourteen-year-old kid. But what about thirty-four-year old Jared? Doesn’t he deserve something?”  
  
“He’s got me,” Jensen whispers. “And the life we’ve built.” Jensen sighs softly and tilts his head, their foreheads pressing together. “Baby, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re strong and fearless, a fucking badass that everyone knows not to mess with. What we do? What you give me? That doesn’t define you. We’ve already talked about this, Jay.”  
  
“Jensen,” Jared sighs.  
  
“No,” Jensen interrupts. “Just… Okay. So what if it was me?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“What if I was the one who liked to get fucked. Would you think any less of me?”  
  
“Jensen, that’s… That’s ridiculous. And completely unlikely.”  
  
“It’s a hypothetical situation, sweetheart,” Jensen rolls his eyes. “So, answer me. What if, in our relationship, I was the submissive? Would that make me less in your eyes?”  
  
Hypothetical situation or not, Jared can’t answer that question. He can’t picture Jensen as anything less than dominate, as _Master_.   
  
“Jensen, this is stupid,” he huffs.  
  
“Just answer the fucking question.”  
  
“No, I mean, I guess not. But that’s not the damn point. Even if you went against _nature_ and liked to get fucked, you’re still an Alpha, you’ll never… need it, let it consume you, like it does me. You’d never be a fuckin’ knot-slut.”  
  
“And neither are you. Baby,” Jensen sighs. “You… I’m the _only_ one you’ve ever been with. It’s not like you’re out there, bending over for every knot you can get.” Even the _thought_ makes Jared’s stomach roll unpleasantly. “So what if you have sex with the man you’ve been mated to for fourteen fuckin’ years? And so what if you enjoy my cock, my knot and you like when I get a little growly and possessive? It doesn’t make you less. It makes you more. _You_ choose, sweetheart. Not me.”  
  
“I’m an omega, Jensen. I don’t _choose_ anything. If I wanna have sex, ‘mma end up on the bottom.”  
  
“Well that’s just not true and you know it.” Jared hates to admit that Jensen’s right. He could be with a beta or even another omega. It wouldn’t be ideal and he’d still have to deal with his heats but it could work. Hypothetically. “Besides, you _do_ choose it. We could have just a regular relationship. _You_ choose to submit to me, baby. That’s not the omega in you. And it sure as fuck doesn’t make you weak. You give yourself to me, willingly, and trust that I’ll take care of you. _That_ takes strength. I don’t have that kind of strength.”  
  
Jared frowns, pulls back enough to look into stormy, glittering emerald-green eyes. “I don’t…”  
  
“Stop,” Jensen interrupts him softly. “Just think about it for a second, seriously. You think strength comes from domination but it really doesn’t. It takes a strong man to submit the way that you do. And there’s not a damn thing wrong with taking the pleasure that you deserve.”  
  
There’s still so much swirling in Jared’s head, his heart. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be truly okay with himself or even with his relationship with Jensen. But for the first time in four years, he feels some of the weight fall away. He’ll keep working on it, keep trying to get past all the shit and be what Jensen deserves. Right now, he pushes it down, knows that he can put himself in Jensen’s hands, in his Master’s care, and feel better, at least for the moment.   
  
Jared sighs, his shoulders finally relaxing a bit. “I love you.”  
  
Jensen smiles and kisses him again. “I know, sweetheart. And I love you too.”  
  
“Will… Can I have it now?” Jared asks softly, still hating that it makes him feel so weak but needing the freedom that the collar gives him.  
  
“Of course.” Jensen’s fingers are warm and soft and Jared trembles when he feels them brush over the sensitive skin of his neck. The slight weight against his Adam’s apple when Jensen buckles the collar makes his breath hitch and it’s like a switch flips in his brain. When he’s wearing it, when he’s so completely and utterly _Jensen’s_ , nothing else matters. He can finally be free to be himself, to let go of the image he still feels that he has to maintain and just _be_.   
  
“ _Alpha_ ,” Jared moans, his cock twitching when Jensen tugs on the supple leather, his vision swimming with the slight bite of pain, the tiniest bit of constriction on his airway.   
  
Jensen stands up, his feet shoulder-width apart, one hand palming the back of Jared’s head. Jared leans forward, pushing his face into Jensen’s crotch, inhaling the spicy, woodsy scent of his mate’s arousal. He opens his lips, mouthing at the heavy swell of Jensen’s balls. He imagines he can taste Jensen, even through the heavy denim and the cotton of his boxer briefs and it makes him moan, wanting to taste it for real.   
  
“Please, Master,” he whispers, pulling back just enough to look up at Jensen, his tongue flicking out, the tip dragging up the underside of Jensen’s cock.  
  
Jensen’s eyes darken impossibly more and he jerks his chin in a nod, giving Jared the permission to take what he wants. Jared’s fingers tremble when he pops open the button and pulls down the zipper. Jensen’s cock is hard and he can see a dark, wet spot forming where he’s already leaking. Jared grabs both sides of the open flaps and presses forward again, opening his lips around the thick shaft of Jensen’s cock. A low moan rumbles in Jensen’s chest and his fingers curl into a fist in the back of Jared’s hair, pulling him closer, until Jared’s nose is buried in the soft cotton of Jensen’s underwear. He can barely breathe, his nose filled with the scent of his mate, and it makes his whole body tremble.   
  
“Suck it if you’re gonna,” Jensen commands and Jared’s eyes roll back into his head. He loves Jensen, even when he’s being all sweet and sappy and making Jared face things he really isn’t ready to deal with, but this version of his mate, the in-charge, in-control Dom, makes his whole body vibrate with want and he’s pretty damn sure this is the version he adores the most. In everyday life, Jensen mostly defers to Jared, follows his rules and does as Jared says. But when they’re like this – Jared on his knees, Jensen’s collar around his throat – Jared can let go, can fall, and know that Jensen will catch him. He can be weak and needy and it’s okay because Jensen loves him anyway.  
  
Jared obeys swiftly, pulling Jensen’s boxer briefs down, moaning low in the back of his throat when Jensen’s cock springs free, thick and long, sticky-wet and _perfect_. Jared’s mouth waters and his hole clenches, slick pulsing out thickly. Jensen inhales deeply and growls, the hand not buried in Jared’s hair moving down to his collar, once again tugging on the leather.  
  
“Drippin’ for me already, darlin’?”  
  
“Yes, Master,” Jared rasps, body vibrating with the need to get his mouth on Jensen’s flushed cock.   
  
XXXXXX  
  
Jensen would be lying if he tried to say that having Jared on his knees, looking up at him with complete love and need and submission wasn’t the most heady, powerful feeling in the world.   
  
He loves and respects Jared as an equal but when they’re like this and this powerful, beautiful man willingly drops to his knees like this, drooling for his cock, it makes him feel invincible.   
  
Grabbing the base of his cock, Jensen holds it steady in front of Jared’s slightly parted lips, knowing his beautiful sub won’t move until he’s told. He slides the tip across Jared’s lips, painting them with pre-come, groaning when Jared’s eyes flutter closed and his breath hitches in his throat.   
  
“Take it,” Jensen growls.  
  
Jared makes the most beautiful, choked-off sound and opens his lips all the way, sinking down on Jensen’s length without preamble. The warm, wet heat of Jared’s mouth feels amazing and Jensen buries both hands in the long, silky-soft strands of his hair. Jared reopens his eyes, staring steadily up at Jensen, begging silently. Jensen’s jaw clenches even as Jared’s goes slack and he pulls his hips back, his hands in Jared’s hair keeping his head still as he steadily starts to fuck his mate’s wide, beautiful, smartass mouth.   
  
Jared moans like he’s fucking dying, his eyelashes fluttering but never closing, wet hazel eyes staring straight up at Jensen. He groans when his cock hits the back of Jared’s throat and pushes deeper, his lips pulling up into a snarl as he growls when Jared merely swallows around him. There are reflexive tears streaming down Jared’s cheeks and there’s spit and pre-come covering his chin and lips. He’s a mess, filthy and debauched and purely, undeniably, _Jensen’s_.   
  
After a few more almost-brutal thrusts, Jensen pulls back. Jared’s panting harshly, massive chest heaving, but he still whines, pulling against the hands in his hair to chase after Jensen’s cock.   
  
“Easy, darlin’,” Jensen murmurs, smoothing his hands through Jared’s hair. “’m ‘bout ready to pop and I ain’t wantin’ to do that in your mouth. Wanna get m’knot into that sweet, wet ass.” Jared fucking _keens_ , his head tipped back, staring up at Jensen adoringly. Jensen smiles for his sweet sub and pets him once more. “Be my good boy and get naked.”  
  
Jared pushes himself up to his feet and quickly strips off every stitch of clothing, until he’s standing bare and beautiful in nothing but Jensen’s black leather collar. Any other time, Jensen would punish him for not taking his time, for not putting on the show that they both enjoy, but honestly, he’s too far gone at this point.  
  
Jared’s knees dip, ready to get back into position but Jensen stops him before he can, quickly spinning Jared around and pressing him against the closest wall. Jared’s dead father is lying pretty much at their feet, cold, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling and Jensen merely steps over him, pushing up close to Jared, his chest pressing against his back. He grabs Jared’s lean hips and ruts forward, his cock thrusting through the slick leaking from Jared’s hole. He pulls back just enough to watch his own cock fuck between the sweet, perfect swell of Jared’s ass cheeks before reaching down and gripping two handfuls, prying the globes apart.   
  
Jared’s pretty pink hole is practically sopping wet and fluttering around nothing, clenching and relaxing, and Jensen can’t stop himself from dropping to his knees and burying his face deep between the muscular flesh. His tongue darts out, lapping at the honey-sweet slick, and Jared’s knees dip, his fingers scrambling for purchase against the rough, concrete walls.   
  
“Jensen!” he cries out, whole body trembling. Jensen hums and presses in further, chasing that flavor that he’s been addicted to for fourteen years. “Oh God,” Jared moans brokenly. “Please… Master, _please_. N-need you.”  
  
Jensen reluctantly pulls himself away and stands back up. After the emotional roller-coaster, he doesn’t want to push Jared too hard and if his mate is already begging like that, he’s close to his limit. He smiles as he presses a sweet kiss to the back of Jared’s neck. He chased the guys out of the house for the rest of the night. Which means that they can do this until the early hours of the morning and Jensen can tease and keep Jared on edge _for hours_. This is just the start.  
  
Jared screams when Jensen thrusts forward hard and fast, all the way to the hilt. He doesn’t give either of them time to adjust – he doesn’t want it and he damn-well knows Jared doesn’t either. Immediately drawing his hips back, he slams forward, setting a bruising, sloppy-fast rhythm. Jared’s making the most deliciously sinful noises in the back of his throat and the wet sound of his cock sliding through Jared’s slick is filthy and obscene and fucking glorious.   
  
Jared’s whole body is shaking in his arms, sweat literally pouring off of him, and a few tiny, hurt noises escape from his lips but he just keeps pushing back against Jensen, silently begging for more, harder, deeper. Jensen complies of course, he may be the Dom in this relationship but just like the rest of their lives, Jared mostly holds all the power.   
  
Jensen leans heavily against Jared’s back, biting down hard on the thick muscle of his shoulder and Jared mewls, his head thrown back, his eyes closed in pure bliss. He knows that his mate is close and it’s honestly a good thing because he can already feel his knot swelling and catching on the still-tight rim of Jared’s hole.   
  
While he loves fucking Jared up against the wall like this, it’s not exactly conducive to knotting. Wrapping his arms around Jared’s middle, Jensen lowers them to the cold concrete floor. He manages to get his knees between Jared’s legs, spreading his mate wide over his own thighs, his chest still plastered to Jared’s back.   
  
Jared chokes on a moan when Jensen sinks in just that little bit deeper, his mostly-full knot tugging on Jared’s rim with every sinful roll of Jared’s hips. He reaches up and wraps his hand around Jared’s neck, pulling his head and shoulders back into an almost unnatural arch and grinds up, _hard_. Jared’s eyes flutter and roll back slightly in his head, a strangled scream tearing from his parted lips when Jensen ties at the same time as his untouched cock jerks and erupts, splattering his heaving stomach and the floor beneath them.   
  
Jensen takes Jared’s weight when his mate goes completely boneless in his arms and through sheer stubbornness and willpower gets them turned around so that his back is to the wall. Jared’s pliant and warm and snuggly, the way he only gets after he’s been fucked six ways from Sunday and Jensen smiles, nuzzling through the sweat-damp curls hanging down over the back of Jared’s neck. Jared sighs softly and turns his head enough to press an off-center, messy kiss to Jensen’s lips.   
  
“Thank you,” he whispers.   
  
“Hmm,” Jensen hums, sliding his hand up and down Jared’s chest and stomach, through the mess of his release. “You’re welcome. But what’re ya thankin’ me for?”  
  
Jared chuckles tiredly and shifts a bit, both of them groaning when it tugs on Jensen’s knot. “Just… Everything.” He sighs, his shoulders dropping and he grabs Jensen’s hand, twining their fingers together. “I love you, Jen. And I know I haven’t been… easy… to be mated to. But… Thanks for stickin’ with me.”  
  
Jensen smiles and presses a kiss to Jared’s temple. “Always, love. ‘s me and you, right? ‘til the end.”  
  
“’til the end,” Jared agrees softly and closes his eyes, trusting Jensen to take care of them. Jensen will spend his last breath doing just that.   



End file.
